Secrets of the Revolution
by seta-sakura
Summary: **COMPLETED!!!** ==Author's note added == ---- Battousai wasn't the only manslayer of importance during the Revolution. Himura Battousai meets an interesting Imperialist manslayer and the two form a bond amidst the bloodshed of war.
1. Secrets of the revolution Prologe

Disclaimer: I in no way own Rurouni Kenshin and any characters from the show. I merely borrowed them and write this little tale.  
  
A.N. Okay, so this is my first attempt at a fanfic, so any and all reviews are welcome. I hope it's okay. I sorta like it ^^;  
  
On with the show!!!  
  
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Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Prologue  
  
Katsura Kogoro made his way towards the training and recruitment grounds where his comrade Takasugi Shinsaku had called him. He didn't like leaving Kyoto but Shinsaku had been adamant about him visiting. He chose one of his shadow assassins to accompany and protect him, even though he was confident he could protect himself. But Hideki had been very persuasive, and no one crossed Hideki. He was the strongest manslayer, even Katsura relented that the boy was very strong.  
  
Hideki walked quietly behind Katsura, his eyes never stopped as he scanned the area. Feeling confident that Katsura would be fine, he left his master and went a short distance away. Leaning against a small shack that was overlooking the training field, he watched the men as they sparred with wooden dummies and remembered the time he had been in this field not too long ago.  
  
Shinsaku was leaning against a tree, grinning down at the training field before him when Katsura met him.  
  
"Look, not even birth status has stopped them, they all want to join and fight in this war." Shinsaku said proudly. He was excited. There were many men here, all whom he himself would lead to battle. "Even children."  
  
A young... person, not quite a man, but too old to be a boy, stood amidst the large men. He had flaming red hair, which was odd to see on a Japanese man. There were a few chuckles from some of the soldiers on the field but the boy didn't seem affected by the taunt. He silently stood before one of the dummies.  
  
Hideki watched the kid intently. There was something in his ki that had grabbed Hideki's attention the second he leaned against the shack. There was something different about this boy. A voice in his head screamed that this boy wasn't to be taken lightly.  
  
"Master Katsura." Hideki said and covered the distance between himself and the two men by the tree in a few quick strides. He never took his eyes off the boy, waiting for him to do something.  
  
Katsura looked down on the young assassin who stared intently at the training field. He followed Hideki's gaze to another young man, who couldn't be any older than Hideki, but still held the features of a boy. He was probably only 14 years old, just like Hideki.  
  
The boy crouched in a battoujutsu position before the dummy. Hideki's breath caught as he felt the boy's ki jump and in a lightening quick motion, the boy unsheathed his sword and neatly sliced through the dummy. Hideki's eyes widened, the boy was faster than he was! But the attack wasn't over yet. Just as fluidly, the boy used his sheath to totally pulverize the wooden dummy.  
  
Katsura, Shinsaku, Hideki and all the men in the training ground stared in shock at the splinters as they fell to the ground quietly. The boy stood straight again, and re-sheathed his sword. He held out his hand to another man who stood beside him. It looks like there had been a bet.  
  
"Master Katsura." Hideki said again, not looking at the man behind him. Katsura nodded.  
  
"Shinsaku, give this boy to me. I'm taking him to Kyoto."  
The two men made their way towards a modest home, not too far from the training ground. They were followed by the two young boys. Shinsaku glanced over his shoulder at them both as they followed in silence a few steps behind himself and Katsura.  
  
"Look at them, children, no older than 14. They haven't even celebrated genpuku yet and here they are, one a murderer already, and one who may become one. Hideki's already soiled his hands a countless number of times, he's changed from the innocent wide-eyed boy that we found here 6 months ago." Shinksaku said.  
  
"And I'm sure this new one will be the same." Katsura said grimly. He hated to do it. Especially with those as young as Hideki and this new boy. He felt terrible about the change Hideki underwent. The boy used to smile; he used to be easily read when talking to him. But now, something changed. He doesn't smile anymore, and his ki is totally unreadable, even to a seasoned samurai like Katsura. The kid was unbelievably strong, and fast. A legend in the making.  
  
But this new one.. Katsura sensed something, and he knew Hideki did too. This kid was probably stronger and faster than anyone ever thought possible.  
  
Katsura glanced over his shoulder at the two boys. They were the same height, which was short compared to other 14 year olds, Hideki wore a black gi and grey hakama, and under his gi he wore bandages all the way up to his collar bone. Katsura never questioned the bandages, Hideki always wore them. His long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail high atop his head. The other boy wore a green gi, and grey hakama. But the mop of shocking red hair was his most distinguishing feature.  
  
Behind the two men, the boys walked in silence. Hideki felt the new kid's ki easily. But then, the boy didn't feel threatened. It was a safe assumption that if threatened, the boy's ki would be unreadable.  
  
The four companions entered the house. A woman escorted them to a private room where tea was already set out for them. Katsura knelt on a cushion and motioned for the new boy to take a seat opposite himself. Hideki sat on the floor, off to the side and away from the general conversation. He leaned against the wall, and propped his sword against his shoulder. Shinsaku took a seat and leaned against the wall as well, but he opted to watch and be a part of the conversation so he sat in between Katsura and the kid.  
  
"What's your name?" Katsura asked.  
  
"Himura Kenshin."  
  
"What style of sword was that?"  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi."  
  
The room froze, but only for a heartbeat.  
  
"So that was Hiten Mitsurugi. I had heard of it, but never thought it existed today." Katsura said.  
  
Hiten Mitsurugi was a very difficult style to learn, Hideki had respected the boy before, but now it had increased tenfold.  
  
"Boy, have you ever killed with your sword and style before?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Would you?" Katsura said quietly. Himura froze. Hideki felt his ki jump. A silence fell upon the room. A minute crept by in silence. Hideki felt the need to come to the boy's aid.  
  
"Master Katsura, may I speak with him, alone?" Hideki asked quietly. Katsura glanced over his shoulder at the boy, a little startled. Hideki had never shown this sort of.. compassion before. Katsura looked at Shinsaku who held the same expression. They locked eyes, Katsura nodded and both men left the two boys alone.  
  
"I'm Hideki."  
  
"Just Hideki? No first name?" Himura said quietly.  
  
"Just Hideki. For one, you'll never be called Kenshin while you're here. And for another, the three of us should be the only ones you tell that name to."  
  
"Well, it should only be fair that if you know my first name, that I should know yours." Himura said and looked up at the other boy, grinning. Hideki stared and slowly cracked a smile. It was at that moment that a friendship had been formed.  
  
"Honestly, I don't have a first name. I only have a last name because it was the only thing left to me by my pathetic excuse for a father. I'd rather wear an anonymous last name, than any first name he gave me." Hideki spat. Himura was a bit shocked at the outburst, but bowed his head to hide his expression. But it was Hideki that was shocked even more. He had never ever spoken about anything from his past to anyone in the Choshu faction. Not even Master Katsura. And yet, being in the company of this boy made him talk. It was that moment that a strong trust was built between Himura and Hideki.  
  
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring back horrible memories for you." Himura said quietly. Hideki stared at the top of Himura's head for a moment.  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"14."  
  
"Same age as me." Hideki mused. Himura looked up at the other boy in shock. The second the man named Katsura asked if he could commit murder, Himura knew that Hideki was a manslayer, but he never dreamed that he and this assassin could be the same age. Why did he do it? What brought Hideki here?  
  
"Why do you murder?" Himura asked. Hideki looked up at him and stared, thinking in silence for a few moments. He took a deep breath.  
  
"For peace."  
  
Himura was stunned.  
  
"For peace?"  
  
"Yes." Pause "If my bloodstained hands and those men I've already killed, as well as the many men I'll probably kill in the future, can exchange for one person's peace in the new era, then I'll continue to murder for peace."  
  
Kindred spirits Himura thought. We're two of a kind, fighting with the same beliefs and with the same goal in mind. Hideki noticed the slight change in Himura's eyes. He would murder, using his sword and his style, Hideki knew it.  
  
"I'll tell Master Katsura that you're ready to talk, Himura." Hideki said, as he rose from his position and left the room. Katsura and Shinsaku were both waiting in the sitting room, down the hall. Hideki slide the shoji door open and looked down upon the two men.  
  
"He'll do it." 


	2. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I in no way own RK or any characters affiliated with it. I merely borrowed them for my tale.  
  
A.N. Okay. Prologue out of the way, on to chapter 1!!!  
  
Once again, any and all reviews are welcome!  
  
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Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The night was unusually dark. There was no moon to be seen and clouds coated the sky, blocking out any trace of stars. There was a cool night breeze that rushed through the foliage of the dense forest.  
  
No one could see the two shadows that stood side by side in the brush.  
  
They didn't utter a word, they didn't move a muscle. They just stood rooted in spot, staring intently at the road before them.  
  
Several minutes passed with no sounds except for the occasional rustle of leaves from the wind. Then slowly and faintly, footsteps could be heard. They built up more and more. From the sounds, there were only 4 people in the group that approached.  
  
Unbeknownst to them, they were all about to be killed.  
  
"Himura, I want you to stay here, and watch. Don't involve yourself." said Hideki. He turned to look at the hitokiri-virgin standing next to him. Himura nodded and swallowed. This was his first night on the job, and even though he wasn't involved in the actual murders, he was still nervous.  
  
There was only one reason why Himura was even there: to witness first hand what a manslayer did and to see if he could handle it. Killing another with a sword wasn't a clean task, nor was it an easy one. The killer usually looked his victim straight in the eye before spilling their blood. The blood was always the worst. There was always so much of it. Could Himura handle it?  
  
The group of four men grew louder as the approached. They had obviously been drinking from the rowdiness they exuded. The target was really only one of the four. But assassins of the Choshou faction were instructed to leave no witnesses. It was an unfortunate turn of luck that the other three were in the presence of their doomed companion.  
  
"Hideki?" Himura whispered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Is it hard?" Hideki paused and looked at his companion. There wasn't much age difference between the two, maybe 6 months. But it was that extra difference that gave Hideki a look of an adult, with his hardened eyes and emotionless face. It was apparent that he had seen and caused a fair amount of bloodshed in his short life.  
  
"You learn to cope." was the reply. Himura nodded and set his eyes back on the road.  
  
At that moment, all four men came into clear view. They all wore swords at their waists. It wasn't unusual to see that during this time of war.  
  
"Stay here until they're all dead."  
  
With that, Hideki was charging swiftly, but quietly towards the unsuspecting men. Himura watched in awe at the speed of the hitokiri. He knew that he was just as fast, if not faster, but to see a true manslayer make his way towards his kill was.. frightening.  
  
The only alert the four men had was the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. Before any of them could register this fact in their heads, one stood dead, a sword at rest straight through his heart and sticking out his back. Hideki removed the sword in one swift movement just as one of his targets charged. He pivoted on one foot, threw all his weight behind his sword and neatly sliced the man in half at the waist; blood splattered everywhere as a sickening shriek pierced the night. Without a moment's hesitation, Hideki jumped over the torso of his latest kill and swiftly chopped the head off victim #3, then calmly shoved his sword, straight to the hilt, into the head of the fourth and final man.  
  
The entire attack took no more than 15 seconds.  
  
Hideki removed his sword and watched the corpse fall lifelessly to the ground. Himura stood in the forest, his heart raced, sweat poured down his face and his eyes were wide. How the hell am I supposed to do that?! He thought.  
  
Hideki used a bit of cloth that he carried with him to clean the blade of his sword before re-sheathing it.  
  
"Himura, come here."  
  
Himura left the safety of the dark forest and walked up to Hideki. He couldn't take his eyes off the four bodies and the blood. There was so much blood.  
  
He felt his stomach lurch as the coppery stench invaded his entire being. Before he could even form a coherent thought on the scene, he turned and vomited all over the road. He could feel tears stinging his eyes at his own humiliation. They definitely wouldn't allow him to help now. Not if he was such a baby about this.  
  
He wanted nothing more than to help. He wanted to fight for a new peaceful era, and when it was achieved, he wanted to protect it. How could he possibly have such ideals when the job he was recruited for made him throw up?  
  
Himura vomited some more, unable to stop himself. He was bent over, hands on his knees and taking deep rasping breaths, fighting to regain some semblance of control when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't want to look up at Hideki, he was too ashamed.  
  
"Don't be embarrassed." Hideki said softly, "I threw up the first time I watched a brutal murder like this one, too. Hell, I didn't stop throwing up until I learned to deal with it. It took me 3 months."  
  
Himura wiped his mouth with his sleeve, feeling slightly better, and stood straight again. His eyes level with Hideki's. He nodded mutely and surveyed the scene again, forcing himself to look at what his own future had in store for him. Hideki watched the young samurai's face intently, looking for any tell tale signs that he wasn't up for this job. There was a strange look on Himura's face; Hideki didn't quite know how to interpret it.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Himura?"  
  
Himura turned his amethyst eyes to Hideki's piercing blues. In a heartbeat, Hideki knew..  
  
"Yes. I'm sure."  
  
Himura Kenshin was going to be a legend.  
Hideki had been absolutely right. Since that night 4 years before hand, Himura had become unbeatable; the strongest of all Imperialists. He was nicknamed Battousai due to the speed of his battoujutsu, the very same one he used at the training grounds.  
  
The first year of his life as an Imperialist he was a shadow assassin; better than what Hideki had been. That thought didn't bother Hideki at all. No, in actual fact, it was better that Himura had a high profile rather than Hideki. For that entire year, as Himura killed in the streets of Kyoto, Hideki killed within the ranks of the opposition; both murdering for an ideal Japan, both completely unaware that they were killing their way into the history books.  
  
It had been one year after Himura joined the Choushu faction when something terrible happened. The Shinsengumi, another group of samurai, had attacked a "secret" meeting of Imperialist leaders, Katsura included. Hideki was the one who saved the many high ranking officials that were present by throwing himself into the fray, thus totally blowing his cover as a hitokiri and revealing himself to the Shinsengumi.  
  
The attack caused the Imperialists within Kyoto to scatter. All ties were cut from one and other. Himura disappeared into the night, along with what Katsura described as his "sheath"; Tomoe. Himura Tomoe. Himura Kenshin's wife.  
  
Hideki, recovering from his injuries from the battle with the Shinsengumi, heard about Himura taking a wife and immediately felt a terrible sense of foreboding. And his hunch wasn't wrong. Six months later, Himura's sword found its path straight into the back of the woman he loved, killing her. This gave birth to the now famous cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.  
  
Himura and Hideki were reassigned to act as bodyguards to other Imperialists.  
  
During those four years, Himura and Hideki never once crossed paths. They only heard about the other through other imperialists and through Master Katsura. But one fateful night, they reunited.  
  
Hideki ran through the narrow alleys of Kyoto with the swiftness and silence of a shadow assassin. He was chasing a group of Shinsengumi, who were chasing a group of imperialists. Katsura was a member of the group. The mere thought made Hideki quicken his pace.  
  
He rounded a corner and at the end of the alley before him, he saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Katsura, bent low to the ground, supporting a fallen companion, was surrounded by Shinsengumi.  
  
There had to be about 20 of them and Katsura was no match for them. Hell, even Hideki wasn't a match for 20 at once. If he could get them to chase him, thus giving time for Katsura to escape, it would be easy to defeat them all. But the Shinsengumi weren't stupid. They knew who Katsura Kogoro was, and they also knew that killing him would bring their victory even closer.  
  
Where the hell is his guard? Hideki cursed.  
  
Mustering up all his strength and will, Hideki ran at top speed towards the group. A few feet from their backs, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and easily launched himself over the group, doing a little flip and landing directly in front of Katsura and blocking half the group from him.  
  
Then he felt it. Very faint, but it was there. A familiar ki. Himura Battousai had arrived. Hideki felt the rush of wind and heard the slight impact of Himura's feet on the ground behind him. Hideki knew that Himura was blocking the other half of the Shinsengumi. Suddenly, both manslayers felt it. A connection between them both long since forgotten, but forged the moment they smiled at each other 4 years ago.  
  
"If you don't want to die, then leave" Himura growled to the surrounding samurai. There were a few chuckles from the squad.  
  
"Two against twenty? Don't make me laugh." One voice grumbled.  
  
"Sir, that red-head, it's the Battousai!" one terrified voice exclaimed from behind Hideki.  
  
"The Battousai isn't a match for me." The first voice grumbled. "ATTACK!"  
  
"Yare yare." Hideki sighed.  
  
Both hitokiri's un-hooked their swords using their thumb, both attacked at the same time.  
  
Katsura and his companion, one Yamagata Aritomo, watched in awe as Battousai and Hideki worked with each others strengths and weaknesses and easily killed, one by one, the entire Shinsengumi squad. Not one word was spoken between the two. no, the communication between them was far deeper rooted.  
  
The four men found themselves standing in a large pool of blood. Katsura and Yamagata could hardly believe their eyes as they surveyed the work of the two assassins. Hideki and Himura re-sheathed their swords and looked at the two men. They stood in silence for several moments.  
  
"I should never have separated you two." Katsura said softly.  
Himura had changed drastically in the last four years, Hideki noted. The innocent amethyst eyes were gone. Instead, he now had piercing amber eyes. Every man who was on the receiving end of one of Himura's penetrating gazes found themselves literally shaking. His face had matured into that of a man's, and he and ditched the green gi for a dark blue. His hair was still as red as before, but no longer could it be considered "flaming red". no, Himura had taken too many lives. His hair was blood red.  
  
Hideki, Himura noticed, hadn't changed at all. He still held his emotionless face, and piercing blue eyes. His features were still young looking, Hideki didn't look like he had aged one bit since they last saw each other. But there was an aura about Hideki that was different. He was jaded before, but Himura sensed something different. He didn't know what, but he felt it. Almost as if Hideki was warring within himself over something. The black gi he wore four years ago was still present, and very ratty looking. And the bandages were still there as well, they had faded to a yellow colour though, most likely due to sweat and blood.  
  
They continued to stare at each other from across the room; neither had spoken a word since the fight. Katsura was checking on Yamagata, and had left the two men alone.  
  
"It's been a long time, Himura."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Have you been well?" Hideki tried again.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Silence.  
  
Hideki sighed inwardly. The friendship, it seems, has long since dissolved. Himura had become too hardened in the last four years for anyone to break through his menacing exterior and gain some semblance of trust and friendship. He had found his way of dealing with the bloodshed.  
  
The silence was deafening as Hideki stared off into space, lost in his own internal battle, forgetting that Himura was even in the room as the sight and smell of blood invaded his senses. His heart rate increased, as he felt the blood pounding in his ears. It was the call of the killer within him. Urging Hideki to lose all semblance of control and give into the urge to kill. Bloodlust was a horrible demon that Hideki had been fighting within himself for quite some time.  
  
"Have you given yourself a first name yet?" a voice said quietly, snapping Hideki out of his mind. "Or should I think of one for you?" Hideki looked up at Himura, who wore a grin on his face, not too unlike the one he wore before. Hideki stared and slowly broke into his own grin.  
  
"Why is it so important that I have a first name?"  
  
"Because you owe me your first name, in exchange for mine I so unwittingly divulged to you four years ago." Hideki chuckled to himself as he bent his head low, staring at his hands on his lap. Himura's grin widened.  
  
"I'll tell you my name, Himura."  
  
"Then you have one?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Himura paused.  
  
"What's the catch?" he asked. Hideki looked up and smiled over at his friend.  
  
"You have to guess it first." At that, Himura threw back his head and shouted with laughter. Katsura entered the room at that very moment, astounded to see the two most feared assassins in all of Kyoto laughing... Out loud. He smiled. Seems he made a fatal error on his own part by separating them. I wonder what would have happened to those two if I had kept them working together, he thought.  
  
"Master Katsura, is Yamagata-san alright?" Hideki asked, immediately sobering at the presence of Katsura. Katsura nodded and seated himself between the two samurai.  
  
"Yes, he'll be fine, thanks to you two."  
  
"I'm glad we made it on time, Master Katsura." Himura said. Katsura nodded, silently agreeing. If they hadn't shown up when they did, the revolution would have ended tonight, the imperialists would have lost. A silence fell upon the room as Hideki and Himura waited for Katsura to say something more, while Katsura was lost in thought. He stared down at the tatami mat before him, recalling Yamagata's words a few minutes before.  
  
"Those two, they're unbelievable. We can't lose them at such an important time."  
  
"I agree Aritomo, and I don't plan on losing them, but if they choose to leave, I cannot stop them."  
  
"They must not leave! They cannot! We need them. Kogoro, make sure they stay together. I have a job for them and they need to be in top form. Better than they were tonight." Yamagata said from his bed. Katsura stared down at him, wide-eyed.  
  
"A job that needs them to be better than they were tonight? I don't think anyone could ever surpass the connection they shared. They fought as one unit."  
  
"No, even a soldier like me knows that's not true, Kogoro, so don't bother trying to convince me. Himura and Hideki can become stronger."  
  
Katsura didn't like where this conversation was headed.  
  
"Are you saying....."  
  
"They must learn each others technique."  
  
Katsura's eyes widened even more.  
  
"No! Absolutly not! I won't allow that! A samurai never reveals his own techniques to another!"  
  
Yamagata watched his comrade vehemently argue his point, and he knew that Katsura was indeed right, but for the job he had in mind, those two had to know the other's technique.  
  
"I don't want them fighting 10 or 20 men, I'm talking about 50 or 100."  
  
"50? 100! You're talking about setting them lose on an entire army squad!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"NO!"  
  
Katsura's passion in that last word caught Yamagata off guard.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Silence.  
  
Katsura stared at his lap. He didn't like the sounds of Yamagata's plan. It sounded like he wanted Himura and Hideki to become shadow assassins again. Uselessly killing people, it was what turned both young men into the heartless bastards they were now.  
  
No, Katsura swore he wouldn't allow that to happen again.  
  
"Because I promised myself that I wouldn't turn them into shadow assassins again. They were pure hearted when the first arrived here, and now the lust for blood deep within their souls, and their constant battle against it has turned them into the emotionless hitokiri's you saw tonight."  
  
Katsura had been wrong. They weren't emotionless, as he found out tonight. No, in fact, they seemed to come alive when they were in each others company. Maybe the idea wasn't such a bad one. And Yamagata did argue that they wouldn't be shadow assassins, but imperial army soldiers. Plus they would still be protecting.  
  
"Master Katsura?" Hideki said quietly, snapping Katsura out of his thoughts. He looked up at Hideki, his child-like girly face was emotionless once again, the laughter completely forgotten and lost in his piercing blue eyes. He looked over at Himura, his face, slightly more mature, but still making him look very young and almost girlish was also impassive, his eyes were that chilling amber colour and watching Katsura intently.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I have something important to ask you two."  
  
Himura and Hideki exchanged glances. Master Katsura seemed a little ill at ease with respect to whatever he wanted to ask. He took a deep breath.  
  
"I need you two to teach each other your techniques."  
  
They both froze, suddenly knowing why Katsura felt so uneasy about the request. Another samurai knowing your technique was dangerous, especially at this time, during a war. "I would never ask this unless it was absolutely imperative. I also know it takes a great deal of trust between two samurai for them to share their techniques and I know you two haven't seen each other in four years but.." Himura and Hideki had reached a silent decision as Katsura tried to explain his request.  
  
"We understand Master Katsura, you would only make such a request if something huge was going to happen." Hideki said, cutting the flustered man off. Katsura looked up at Hideki, then over at Himura.  
  
"I trust Hideki, I'll teach him."  
  
"And I trust Himura, I'll teach him."  
  
Katsura looked at his two prized assassins as they agreed to this outrageous request. His respect for both men skyrocketed and he knew that there would be no way he could ever repay them for their unselfish services during the revolution. But his next request would be a sure test of their patience.  
  
"I need you do to it in three weeks."  
  
"Three weeks! Master Katsura, with all due respect, I can't learn the Hiten Mitsurugi style in three weeks! Even if a master teaches me. It took years of training for Himura to get to the level of skill he's already attained."  
  
"I agree, whatever style it may be, it would take longer than three weeks to learn it." Himura added.  
  
"I know boys," Katsura sighed "But in three weeks time, I need you two to be ready to take on an army of soldiers." He suddenly looked very old and weary as he ran a hand over his face. The revolution had taken begun to take its toll on him. Himura and Hideki watched in silence.  
  
"I will do all that I can to learn Himura's style in three weeks, Master Katsura." Hideki said bowing and touching his forehead to the floor before Katsura. Himura did the same.  
  
"I will learn Hideki's style to the best of my abilities, sir." Himura added. Katsura smiled at the two. Their spirit and courage on this day engraved on his mind forever.  
  
"I thank you both." Katsura said, and showing his own respect, bowed before the two samurai. 


	3. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I in no way own RK or any characters affiliated with it. I merely borrowed them for my tale. (However, if I could have one wish it would be to own Kenshin, but I am not one so fortunate. ooo, look. a lamp. =rubs lamp and genie appears= "You may have one wish Sakura-san!" "WOHOO!!!! YAY! I wish I owned Kenshin!" "Uhm. how bout no!" =cries= ) Oh well.. On with the show!!! Err. story.  
  
Reviews are welcome as always.  
  
__________________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 2  
  
In the three weeks that followed, both Himura and Hideki all but tortured the other each and everyday in training. Himura was extremely impressed at the speed Hideki learned the Hiten Mitsurugi style. He was a very fast learner, and after the first week, both men and a grasp of the others style.  
  
They sparred viciously every day. Pushing the other to their physical limits, learning the others strengths and weaknesses. Their injuries at the end of the day were mostly sore muscles and battered bodies. They made sure that no matter how hard they pushed the other; neither shed blood, nor broke a bone. Having injuries such as those when their training was finished wouldn't be beneficial when they finally set out to take on an army.  
  
Himura noticed differences in strength between them both. At first, the strength of his attack, if it caught Hideki off guard in the slightest way, caused him to be knocked to the ground like a rag doll. Hideki was approximately the same size as Himura, height and width wise, but strangely enough, he was lighter, therefore his attacks didn't hit as hard as Himura's. Of course, this was most likely attributed to the weight difference. Himura knew that his master could easily toss him about like a rag because Hiko was a lot more powerfully built. He shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it.  
  
Besides, when Himura was faced with Hideki's attack, the same thing happened. Hideki was fast, and his original nameless technique would employ his speed and agility to pull off attacks. It seemed that Hideki's sword style was made especially for him. Using one of his attacks he easily defeated Himura each and every time. The swiftness and the build-up of speed, combined with Hideki's entire bodyweight thrown behind his sword always toppled Himura.  
  
By the end of the third week, both men had a hold on the others technique. They sparred against each other, Himura using Hideki's technique, and Hideki using the Hiten Mitsurugi technique. They weren't as quick as they could be using their own style, nor could either man consider themselves a master of the others sword style, but that was to be expected. In only 21 days, the very basics of both techniques, as well as some attacks were transferred between them both.  
  
Katsura and Shinsaku made their way to the abandoned training field where they discovered both samurai locked in a deadly battle. Swords clashed, wind whipped at them as each hitokiri attacked the other using unfathomable speeds. Both men stood in a state of shock. It wasn't until a blinding flash of light, a deafening clash of swords and sudden silence that told them the battle had ended. Dirt and dust settled, and the two men could make out two figures, standing face to face.  
  
The air cleared completely, revealing the final scene. They gasped inwardly at the sight. Both men stood with their sheaths locked together in a strike, their swords were imbedded into the ground several feet behind them, and Hideki's short sword was in his left hand, pointing straight up, with its tip brushing Himura's chin.  
  
Hideki had won the battle, against the most feared assassin to ever exist in Japan.  
  
Or so they thought.  
  
As the two pulled apart, Katsura made out Himura's own short sword, which was in his left hand, and had been pointing straight at Hideki's heart.  
  
"A... draw?" Shinsaku breathed in shock. Someone had fought Battousai the manslayer to a draw?!  
  
Katsura blinked, shock written all over his face. Had he underestimated Hideki's strength? Was this boy as strong as the Battousai? Since Himura joined the imperialists, Hideki had still remained a key assassin, but his reputation had been completely smothered by Himura's. Hideki had faded to the background, remaining nobody during the revolution to date.  
  
"Master Katsura, Takasugi-san, I didn't see you there." Hideki said as he retrieved his sword and re-sheathed it. Himura was silent as he did the same.  
  
"Sorry for the interruption, but as promised, I am here to collect you. I trust the training went well?"  
  
"It must have if you could fight Battousai to a draw!" Shinsaku exclaimed. He was still shocked at what he had witnessed. Himura and Hideki chuckled as they approached the two men, throwing Shinsaku completely for a loop. He had never in his life, ever seen even a slight smile from either hitokiri, and yet, here they were: laughing!  
  
"If I had been using my own technique, and Himura had been using his, I most certainly would have lost." Hideki said, smiling.  
  
"You continually underestimate yourself, Hideki. I believe that no matter how often we may spar, we'd always end in a draw."  
  
"You're a very bad liar, Himura." Hideki retorted. The red-head merely grinned at his friend. Hideki turned to the two leaders that still stood in a state of shock. "Master Katsura, as you plainly saw, we have learned what we could about each others technique. I just hope it is enough."  
  
Katsura nodded silently, oh yes. What he saw was defiantly enough. And he had been right. He HAD underestimated Hideki. The man was a genius with the sword. If he could learn the fundaments of Hiten Mitsurugi in just 21 days, then Katsura had seriously underestimated Hideki.  
  
"Are we going into battle?" Himura asked, snapping Katsura out of his revere.  
  
"Yes, tonight. Shinsaku will tell you the details. I wish you best of luck Himura and Hideki. And Shinsaku, make sure you return them to me alive." Katsura said. He had seen enough, and had to go rethink several future operations to accommodate his newly discovered information regarding Hideki.  
  
"Wait, you're not going to be there, Master Katsura?" Himura asked. Katsura shook his head.  
  
"This is a job within the Imperial army. Yamagata is the head of that branch of the Imperialists. He will be your leader for tonight."  
  
With that, Katsura turned and left the other three men, and started back towards Kyoto.  
  
"Well men, it's off to battle we go." Shinsaku said, and slung his sword over his shoulder, and began walking in the opposite direction of Kyoto. The two hitokiri's followed in silence.  
  
----------  
  
They walked for half the day; it had been early morning when they had set out. It was near dusk when they reached the army camp grounds. All the soldiers were prepping for a battle, grabbing weapons, armour, saddling horses and lining up in groups. But they all noticed the two young boys who followed Takasugi. Some snickered at their comical appearance: their gi's and hakama's were torn and tattered while the swords at their hips looked brand new and unused.  
  
"Hey, little boys! Run home to your mothers! They're probably worried about you!" One arrogant soldier shouted. Himura and Hideki ignored the comments and jibs that the army soldiers made. They were both used to it. They were both very small men in comparison to the rest of the country. And they were also very young looking, even if they were both 18 year old men.  
  
Takasugi Shinsaku on the other hand, wasn't used to the comments, nor did he like hearing his own soldiers being so pompous. In a flash, he used his sword to pull the legs out from under one of the men who thought his comment was especially funny. As soon as he hit the ground, Shinsaku's sword was unsheathed and pointing directly at the man's throat. Hideki and Himura stopped dead in their tracks, and any soldier who was within ear or eye shot of the scene froze.  
  
"These 'little boys' as you call them, are your only hope for survival and victory tonight. So if you don't show them proper respect, then I'll kill you myself." Shinsaku growled. "That goes for all of you!" he yelled, looking into the eyes of every soldier who was watching. Himura stepped forward, and placed a hand on Shinsaku's shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, Takasugi-san. We're both used to these sort of comments. We're also used to ignoring them now too. It's how we survived." Himura said quietly, he gazed down into the eyes of the soldier on the ground. Hideki watched the man pale and begin to shake uncontrollably.  
  
"B-Battousai!" He whispered. Any man who heard that name took one step away from Himura, as if he were poison. Murmurs went through the crowd quickly about Battousai the manslayer being in their midst. Comments on his scar and red hair were flying everywhere. Some men even backed away from Hideki, because he was Battousai's companion. Shinsaku regained his composure and re-sheathed his sword. The frightened soldier scrambled to his feet and took off to perform any duty at all; he just wanted to get as far away from Battousai as he possibly could.  
  
Himura turned back to Hideki and they locked eyes for a second. Silently between the two, they laughed. For once, Himura didn't hate his nickname, nor did he hate the reaction that came with it. Only the slight upturn of their firmly set mouths marked their amusement at the situation. Takasugi began to walk towards a large tent, beckoning for the manslayers to follow.  
  
Hideki and Himura complied, and followed Takasugi towards the tent. All eyes were on them as they proceeded through the camp. Soldiers moved away from them as they walked, it looked like a parting sea. Hideki bowed his head low, allowing his bangs to conceal his face as he broke into a large grin. Beside him, Himura had done the same. They reached the tent almost thankful to be leaving the terrified faces behind, but Takasugi paused just outside the entrance.  
  
"Please wait here, I have to converse with Yamagata-san before I bring you to him." Shinsaku said. Himura nodded, composing himself enough to look up into Shinsaku's eyes. The flap was opened by a young man, admitting entrance for Shinsaku into the tent. He took one look at Himura and froze. It looked like shear will power and discipline kept him rooted in place. Takasugi entered the tent, and the soldier closed the flap, thankful to block the piercing amber stare of hitokiri Battousai.  
  
"You're famous Himura." Hideki said softly beside him. Himura almost choked on the laughter. But he had to keep up appearances. In the three weeks they had been training together, Hideki and Himura had become great friends. Trusting the other man beyond reasoning. Both men had become 'softer' so to speak. They weren't always frowning, dreading the next day and concealing all trace of human emotion. Even the smell of blood which had been permanently branded into their beings had lessened slightly.  
  
All because two samurai trusted each other, and formed a friendship during a raging war full of bloodshed and death.  
  
"Shut up Hideki, before I slice your throat open." Himura mumbled back. Hideki arched an eyebrow. Death threats had become strangely normal between them now. Of course, the threats were never serious. Hideki draped his arm over the hilts of his swords and with one quick jerk of his arm, his katana sheath ploughed into the back of Himura's knees. Himura hadn't moved, but bit his tongue to keep from shouting out in pain. Himura glared at Hideki from the corner of his eye.  
  
"I'd like to see you try, Battousai." Hideki said exaggerating the 'Battousai' and making it sound like he was referring to royalty.  
  
"You're a bastard, Hideki." Himura grumbled, the back of his knees still sore.  
  
"Takes one to know one, Himura." Hideki replied simply.  
  
"Himura-sama, Hideki-sama, Yamagata-sama wishes to see you now." The young soldier said. He was visibly shaking as he held the flap open for the two manslayers. They both entered to find Yamagata and Shinsaku pouring over a few crude maps of the area of the battle.  
  
"Himura-san! Hideki-san! I'm so glad you agreed to help. I never did get a chance to thank you for saving me three weeks ago; I am eternally in your debt." Yamagata said as he stood up and shook the hands of both men. Hideki and Himura were a bit confused at this.  
  
"It's a western custom. It's a sign of friendship." Yamagata explained upon seeing the confused look on their faces.  
  
Hideki nodded. 'Silly western customs, they'll never catch on here in Japan', he thought.  
  
"Down to business, we only have a short time before we march, so I'd better tell you two what you've gotten mixed up in." Yamagata said, stepping back to the small table where the maps were strewn. He beckoned Himura and Hideki to follow. Yamagata pulled out a map of the area surrounding Kyoto and indicated one particular location. It was on Mount Kurama.  
  
"This area of Kurama is mostly void of forest. It's like a large open field amidst the surrounding trees. This is your battleground. Beyond this location, "he indicated on the map, "We will begin our attack on the army, and drive them towards you two. Kill as many as you can. We will do out part as well. The mission is to eliminate the entire army. No survivors." Yamagata said gravely.  
  
"You're talking about mass murder here." Hideki said. Yamagata sighed and then nodded.  
  
"This particular army is too strong. We must cut them down, if not eliminate them at all costs."  
  
"Hideki and I are no longer shadow assassins. We don't randomly kill, we kill only to protect." Himura growled. Neither samurai liked the plan and weren't afraid to share that opinion.  
  
"They're damn right they're not shadow assassins! Yamagata! What the hell is the meaning of this? You never mentioned this to either Katsura or myself!" Shinsaku said angrily. That bit of news somewhat appeased Hideki and Himura. They had been feeling somewhat betrayed by Master Katsura for his insistence on their involvement in what was turning into genocide, but knowing now that he wasn't involved in this horrible plan made them feel slightly better.  
  
"They won't be shadow assassins. And they will be protecting! This army is the leading force behind our enemy. With them out of the way, we have a better chance at winning this revolution and bringing peace to Japan. I would never make them kill randomly, and they will be protecting." Yamagata said sternly.  
  
"How?" Shinsaku asked. He hated this plan more and more. He was also prepared to grab both boys by their collars and drag them away from the tent, and the battleground. If Katsura found out about the true reason behind his bodyguards involvement, he would probably personally kill Takasugi.  
  
"The fallback of our forces is merely a diversion. When these two join the fight, a special group of soldiers are going to make their way towards the base camp of our enemy and capture their leader. With no army leader, and no elite army, the enemy will fall to us, bringing about our victory." Yamagata slammed his fist onto the table passionately. "If we walk away with victory tonight, the revolution will be over!"  
  
At this comment, both manslayers perked up. They both wanted the war to end, and find their path for atonement and happiness. They had both made a silent oath to never kill again once this war had ended.  
  
"I'll do it." They both said at the same time. Yamagata and Takasugi had been arguing and only stopped when they heard those words.  
  
"Are you sure?" Shinsaku asked. They nodded.  
  
"I want this war to end." Hideki said simply.  
  
"As do I." Himura replied. Yamagata smiled in triumph.  
  
"We're going to bring home victory tonight." He said as he looked at the two young men before him. These hitokiri's, they were the strongest of the imperialists. They were undefeated and the most feared assassins to ever exist and they were working for peace. Yamagata smiled again. The piercing blue eyes of Hideki, and the terrifying yellow eyes of Himura stared at Yamagata.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
----------  
  
Himura and Hideki found themselves standing in the middle of a wide clearing. The full moon shone down brightly upon them. They were totally alone, and surrounded by dark forest. Neither man liked the atmosphere. They were used to the cover of darkness. Standing in the middle of a clearing, during a full moon, made them feel anxious and vulnerable.  
  
But more than anything, what disturbed them the most was the sickening nervous feeling at the bottom of their stomachs. The only time they ever felt this strange before an attack was when something bad was going to happen. Last time Hideki felt that horrible feeling was three years beforehand when Katsura and the other imperialists had been attacked by the shinsengumi. The result: severe wounds; Hideki had barely escaped with his life. Himura, on the other hand, had only felt this feeling when his sword pierced the back of the woman he loved, killing her. He wanted more than anything to forget the feeling, but it had resurfaced and was present within his person as they waited.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this." Himura said.  
  
"Aa." Hideki replied.  
  
They stood in silence for quite some time. The only noise was the wind as it blew through the trees and across the clearing. Far off, deep within the forest, a battle was raging. Swords clashed, guns fired, cannons blasted, men shouted. The battle was well underway as the imperial army began to draw back. The plan was moving along as it should. Over 200 men were moving through the forest. Half were leading, the other half were following. Little did they know what waited for them, or rather, who waited for them.  
  
The two hitokiri's heard the approaching chaos. The battle cries, the screams, the gunfire. It was getting louder and louder with each passing moment. Suddenly, a few men broke through the trees and entered the clearing. They were imperial soldiers. They were marked with a white band around their left arms. Using the white was the ensure Himura and Hideki knew which men to kill. Their orders were simple. Kill whoever didn't wear a white band.  
  
The three men ran over to Himrua and Hideki, they were weaponless and badly injured.  
  
"They're coming!" One panted, as he collapsed in front of Himura.  
  
"They're so strong! We couldn't slow them at all! We've lost many of our men already!" a second cried. The third was supported by the other two, and by the looks of it, he was all but dead. There was a cry, and a gunshot, one of the soldiers in front of Himura and Hideki collapsed, dropping the injured man. The fallen soldier had a hole blown out of the side of his head, he was dead.  
  
"We're in trouble." Hideki said as he drew his sword. Himura only nodded as he drew his own sword. Both men leapt over the fallen imperialists and charged towards the soldiers that were emerging from the forest in waves. Those who were imperialists and who were well enough to fight, would turn around and fight once they entered the clearing. But for the most part, it was all up to Himura and Hideki to defeat the onslaught and protect their fallen comrades.  
  
The battle raged. Himura and Hideki sliced their way through the approaching army, using each other as guards and backup. Whenever Hideki would slay a man, Himura wasn't too far behind to protect his friend and vice versa. Those of the imperialists who could watch as the fighting continued were astounded at the power the two young samurai's emitted. They were like a tsunami, a huge tidal wave that swept over the opposition leaving nothing but dead bodies behind them. They used each other as launches to get themselves out of sticky situations where they were surrounded, they worked as one man. It was frightening to watch.  
  
Hideki dodged an attack easily as he sliced a gun in half before the soldier could get a shot off. The man he dodged fell to the ground dead after Himura's sword struck him down. He and Hideki fought back to back, never allowing the other any more than an arms length in distance away. Swords clashed, men died, blood splattered everywhere. After 20 minutes of constant battle, Himura and Hideki were covered in blood, none of it their own. They were winning.  
  
They didn't notice the cannon as it was wheeled into the clearing by a number of soldiers. They didn't see them load it, and light the flint. But they did hear the blast of the gunpowder and whirled around to see a cannonball flying through the air towards them. They jumped out of the way. In opposite directions.  
  
They had been separated.  
  
"Kill them!" someone shouted, and before anyone could blink, a massive number of men descended upon the clearing, the number of opposition doubling in a heartbeat. But there was something different about the men that had just arrived. Every one of them wore blue overcoats, with white gi's and black hakama's, as well as a wakazashi's and katana's at their waists. A white band covered the brows of each man, and soon Hideki and Himura found themselves not only separated, but surrounded by the newly arrived samurai's.  
  
Trapped.  
  
By the Shinsengumi.  
=====================  
  
A.N. Okay, so it's a cliffhanger. Sue me! I like cliffhangers. :D  
  
Just a fair warning to you wonderful readers out there, my love of cliffhangers will continue throughout this story. MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
  
But don't worry, I won't leave you anxiously waiting for too long. I'll update at least once a week.  
  
To my first two reviewers thanks so much for your kind words! This is the first time I ever posted a fanfic and I'm a little nervous (=Sheepish smile=)  
  
Just to respond to icegal: Don't worry, it won't become shonen-ai/yaoi. I love heterosexual Kenshin/Battousai too much. I couldn't place him in such a situation (No offence to yaoi fans out there! It's just not my thing, tis all!!!)  
  
Ahem... anyways, before I get beaned in the head by some hard object someone is sure to fling at me for leaving the story as it is, I'm going to go..  
  
=runs away= 


	4. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 3

Disclaimer: RK and all its characters don't belong to me (unfortunately). I merely borrowed them for my tale.  
  
The next chapter of this story. I certainly hope those of you reading are enjoying it! Thanks so much for the reviews I've already gotten :D  
  
On with the story! Enjoy! ______________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Trapped.  
  
By the Shinsengumi.  
  
"Oh shit." Hideki breathed, gripping his katana and short sword in his hands tightly. In a flash, one Shinsengumi member from each surrounding group attacked Himura and Hideki. At least they were honourable and only attacked one at a time.  
  
Hideki's sword clashed with the samurai. Using his short sword to defend himself, he pushed his katana through the man's chest, blood spurted all over Hideki's face as the man fell to the ground, dead.  
  
Himura dodged the first attack, easily side stepping the thrust of the blade and swinging his sword around, it connected with the back of the man's head, severing the spinal cord and slicing the man's head off easily.  
  
Two down, too many to count left.  
  
This had been a set up from the start. They had been ambushed by the shinsengumi and outsmarted by the opposition. Hideki wondered briefly if Yamagata and Shinsaku were alright. Himura asked himself the same question as the second member of the shinsengumi attacked.  
  
'We need to be together' Hideki thought as his sword stopped another from impaling him. 'I need to get to Himura's side.'  
  
Using an upswing, Hideki threw the man's balance off and as he stumbled backwards, Hideki used the opportunity to use the man as a vault. He jumped onto the man's chest, and pushed off with all the strength his legs had in order to get over to where Himura fought. The plan worked, and Hideki found himself hurtling towards Himura.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Tsui Sen!" Hideki cried and brought his sword down, cleanly slicing the shinsengumi, who had been attacking Himura from behind, from head to foot. Blood splattered everywhere, as Hideki righted himself, his back pressed to Himura's. The squad surrounding them froze. They witnessed someone else using Himura's style perfectly. They found themselves surrounding something very frightening: two legendary sword masters using the same style. The Hiten Mitsurugi Style.  
  
"If you wish to die, then come." Battousai drawled in his deadly tone. The will to protect the imperialist soldiers was gone. They were protecting each other now, no one else.  
  
Hideki was angry beyond reasoning. He could feel the blood pumping in his head and roaring in his ears. Bloodlust was creeping into his mind. The will to see blood, and watch a man die just for the pleasure of it was slowly embedding its claws into Hideki's soul. He grit he teeth against the overpowering urge. His breathing became laboured as he tried with all his might not to let go of his humanity and hack his way through each living soul around him  
  
Himura felt the change in Hideki's ki immediately. He also heard his friends breathing become ragged and uneven. He could tell Hideki was struggling with his inner demons. Himura knew all too well what that felt like. Three years ago, he had the same feelings every night. Bloodlust.  
  
But he managed to contain the bloodlust. If Kenshin had not met Tomoe that fateful rainy night, he probably would have succumbed to his urge for blood long ago, and lost whatever trace of humanity he had. Tomoe had been the calm in the middle of the storm. Kenshin had needed her. She helped point him in the right direction. She had saved his soul.  
  
Hideki needed a sheath. Someone like Tomoe. She had been Himura Kenshin's sheath, even if only for a few months. But it was exactly what his soul needed.  
  
Himura did all he could. He dropped his wakazashi which had been in his left hand, not taking his eyes off the shinsengumi surrounding him, and grabbed Hideki's right wrist tightly.  
  
The contact from Himura's hand on his wrist snapped Hideki out of his stupor; he blinked and inhaled, almost gasping for air. His inner demons were momentarily defeated.  
  
"Calm down, I need you thinking straight if we're going to survive this." Himura said quietly. Hideki nodded, Himura dropped his wrist and put his hand on his sheath.  
  
"Kill them." One of the shinsengumi said, and they attacked.  
  
Neither manslayer had much hope of getting out of the situation alive. They had handled 20 shinsengumi before, but now there were 50 of them. The situation was totally different, and the manpower was severely out weighed. Himura and Hideki could only brace themselves, protect each other, and hope to find an opening for them to escape to the cover of the forest.  
  
The attack was swift, two at a time the shinsengumi descended upon the two manslayers. Himura and Hideki did all in their power to keep each other alive. They switched sides a lot, changing opponents, and changing fighting styles to confuse their enemy.  
  
Hideki flipped over Himura, and blocked a sword as it searched for a path into Himura's back. He whirled around and drove his wakazashi into his opponent's neck. Himura used the opportunity to bring his sword up between the two men and slice through a second samurai who was trying to kill Hideki.  
  
Both manslayers were tiring quickly, they had been fighting at full strength for almost an hour and with the new additions that possessed greater fighting skills than those of the army, they were having a hard time. It would prove to be fatal.  
  
Hideki's sword crashed against another. They fought for the upper hand trying to defeat strength versus strength. Hideki knew that it wasn't going to end in his favour; he didn't have as much strength as his opponent. He immediately crouched, sending the samurai falling forwards due to his own body weight pushing him forward. Hideki raised his short sword, and the man impaled himself on it. He groaned, and fell to the ground, his blood pouring out of the wound rapidly. Hideki stood up and drove the tip of his katana into the base of the man's skull. A sickening crunch, a bit of blood, and the man was dead.  
  
Himura turned to see Hideki finish off another shinsengumi, then turn to face more. Himura noted that Hideki no longer had his wakazashi and tried to get to his friends side. Without his short sword, Hideki wouldn't be able to defend as well. Two shinsengumi stood in his way. Himura re- sheathed his katana and crouched into his battoujutsu position. He didn't have time to fight them; he had to get to Hideki.  
  
They charged. In a blinding flash, Himura unsheathed his sword and sliced one of them from hip to shoulder, blood spraying everywhere. The second was thrown to the side, his ribs broken after Himura's sheath connected with his side. He collapsed; gasping for air, then fell over dead. One of his ribs had broken, punctured through his lung and pierced his heart.  
  
Hideki saw the sword and blocked it before it took his head off. There was a bright flash off to his left. He glanced over, wondering what it was and dropping his guard ever so slightly. It was enough. Before he could react, he felt the sword puncture his lower torso area.  
  
Himura saw the flash too, lightening. Storm clouds were moving in rapidly; it was going to rain. He then froze. He saw Hideki standing not too far from him, his katana raised to block a short sword. But that wasn't what caused him to freeze. It was the katana blade that stuck out Hideki's back that caused his eyes to widen.  
  
Hideki blinked, shocked, then looked down at the katana buried in his person straight to the hilt. He followed the hand wrapped around the hilt, up the arm, into the eyes of the shinsengumi who held the offending sword. The man smirked and moved to withdraw his sword. Hideki grabbed his wrist, preventing him. Anger surged through Hideki's body and using all the strength he could muster, he swatted the short sword he still blocked away as if it were a fly. He then used the momentary freedom of his katana to cleanly slice the head off the man who had injured him. The body fell to the ground, the head flew across the clearing, and the katana was still embedded in Hideki, straight to the hilt.  
  
Himura shouted, but the crash of thunder drowned him out. Time seemed to stand still at that moment. No one attacked anyone for a few seconds as everyone's eyes were on Hideki and the katana that was embedded in his chest. The shinsengumi started to shout victory. With one dead, killing the other wouldn't be as hard. Even if the one remaining was Hitokiri Battousai.  
  
But they were wrong. Hideki wasn't dead.  
  
He was angry.  
  
Blood rushed to his head. All he could see was red. The sight, the smell, the taste of blood consumed his entire being. He stood up straight and drove his katana into the soil by his feet. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he grabbed the hilt of the sword in his chest. Ever so slowly, he withdrew the sword, never once making a sound. He removed it completely just as another flash of lightening pierced the night sky, illuminating the scene. Hideki, already covered in blood, stood holding the sword of his enemy in one hand, and pulled his own sword out of the ground with the other.  
  
It started to rain.  
  
Hideki crossed the tips of the swords at his feet. He ran the blades together up to the hilt and stopped. His eyes were still closed, and his breathing was slightly ragged. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the demon within him. His breathing, coupled with the rain that was washing away the blood on his face, was soothing. and the beast within gave up its battle for a second time that evening. Hideki opened his eyes to see he was still surrounded. Himura wasn't too far away from him, watching his friend intently. Hideki cocked a slight smile at Himura then sprung into action.  
  
Himura's eyes widened as Hideki used both katanas to fight the shinsengumi. He had never seen anyone move so fast with two long swords like that before. And Hideki was doing it perfectly, as if the swords were an extension of him. He cleanly sliced his way through the shinsengumi that approached him. Himura moved towards his friend, defeating all the shinsengumi who approached him. Soon, they found themselves back to back and surrounded again. The squad of samurai had taken a severe beating at the hands of the hitokiris but that didn't slow them any.  
  
Himura felt the blood of Hideki's injury seeping through his own gi at his back.  
  
"Are you alright?" Himura asked when they stopped.  
  
"No."  
  
Hideki's breathing was rapid and uneven. Something wasn't right. They had to get out of the clearing. They had to escape. Hideki wasn't going to make it if they didn't get out of there. At least in the safety of the woods, Himura would be able to stop the bleeding and they could escape.  
  
There was a cannon blast again, this time the target was the shinsengumi. The cavalry had arrived. Imperialist soldiers stormed the area, and the two manslayers in the midst of it all heard someone shout.  
  
"Himura! Hideki! Get the hell out of there!"  
  
It was Shinsaku. His troops had heard of an ambush and immediately went to the clearing.  
  
They didn't hesitate. Hideki dropped the sword that didn't belong to him, re-sheathed his own, and took off running towards the woods. Himura was right next to him.  
  
They ran as fast as they could, and into the trees. The shinsengumi tried to stop them, but were surrounded by Shinsaku's soldiers.  
  
"If you thought for one minute that you were going to succeed in killing those two," Shinsaku said to one shinsengumi, "You were wrong."  
  
Himura was running as fast as he could, he noticed Hideki was tiring. His wound was giving him problems. But they couldn't stop. Not yet. They had to get as far away from the clearing as they could. When they were a safe distance, Himura would check his friend's injuries.  
  
They continued deeper into the forest and further away from the clearing. They ran through dense foliage, jumped over fallen trees and ploughing through streams. Hideki was exhausted, and weak. But he drove himself. He couldn't stop. Not yet. He had to get away: away from the Shinsengumi, away from Shinsaku's army.  
  
Away from Himura.  
  
"Hideki, let's stop." Himura said as he slowed to a walk. Hideki slowed too but shook his head.  
  
"No, we've got to keep going."  
  
"But you're injured. Let me at least stop the bleeding."  
  
"NO!"  
  
Himura stopped dead at Hideki's outburst. Hideki looked at his friend over his shoulder and kept walking.  
  
"It's alright; I'll tend to it myself once we get back. Don't worry."  
  
"Hideki, we're half a day's walk from the house." Himura said. He was referring to the house where they were staying, not far from the training grounds where they had spend the last 3 weeks. The very house they first formed their friendship 4 years before hand.  
  
Hideki continued to walk; he pressed his hand over the wound to slow the bleeding and winced at the pain that shot through his body at the pressure. Himura had to stop the man, before he died from blood loss.  
  
"It's fine. I'll make it." Hideki insisted. Himura sighed, and for Hideki's benefit, shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, a samurai doesn't like to show weakness, even to a comrade, or a friend."  
  
"Fine, let's get going. The sooner we get off this mountain, the sooner we'll get home." Himura said. Hideki visibly relaxed, smiled and kept walking. He was slightly hunched over from the pain, and swayed slightly from dizziness.  
  
They continued for a few minutes. Himura was waiting for Hideki's guard to be let down so he'd be able to stop him.  
  
'He's hiding something', Himura thought.  
  
Hideki was weakening by the minute, but he kept up the appearance that he was coping, in order to keep Himura appeased.  
  
'He can't find out. He just can't!' Hideki's mind screamed.  
  
Himura watched Hideki stumble for the last time. He grabbed his friend's shoulder and whirled him around to look directly into his blue eyes.  
  
"Himura! Wha-?"  
  
"Hideki, I'm sorry." Himura said as he balled his hand into a fist and punched Hideki, striking him in his wound.  
  
Pain consumed Hideki totally, he only let out a muffled grunt as he collapsed against Himura, coughing up blood and gasping for air.  
  
"Himura, you bastard." Hideki whispered as he slowly sank to his knees.  
  
Himura caught his friend and lowered him to the ground, laying him out on his back.  
  
"I'm sorry. this is for your own good."  
  
"Please, don't." Hideki whispered, clutching at Himura's hands while he opened the black gi only to come face to face with Hideki's trademark bandages. They were no longer yellow. They were covered in blood, and torn where the sword had pierced them.  
  
"You and your damn bandages." Himura grumbled. Hideki grabbed Himura's right hand. He looked up into his fallen comrades eyes.  
  
The piercing, frightening blue eyes were gone. Himura's eyes widened at the sight. The manslayer he knew wasn't looking at him. These eyes were screaming vulnerability, and pain; intense pain.  
  
"Please, Himura. Don't." Hideki pleaded. Himura blinked a few times, and hesitated at his friends tone. But the smell of blood was too strong, and Hideki was losing it at an alarming rate.  
  
"I have to." He said, shaking off Hideki's hand and grabbing his short sword. He slid the sharp edge under the bandages at Hideki's waist and sliced them cleanly off.  
  
He froze.  
  
"Secret's out." Hideki whispered, before passing out from the pain.  
  
Himura stared down at Hideki. His yellow eyes faded, the ever present alertness Battousai was famed for fled Himura's body.  
  
Kenshin stared with shocked amethyst eyes and dropped the wakazashi in his hands. It landed with a dull thud on the soft earth of the forest.  
  
"Oro..."  
  
Hideki was a woman.  
  
--------------  
  
A.N. *GASP* Okay. Who saw that coming? =sees the legions of hands raised= hrm. Okay, fine.  
  
Anyways, I know this chapter was a bit shorter than the others, but. MEH what are you gonna do. Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always welcome. :D 


	5. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 4

Disclaimer: RK and characters don't belong to me, I merely borrowed them for my tale.  
  
A.N. Okay, obviously I managed to shock those who reviewed my story. Yay! Yes, I decided to make Hideki a woman even before I started writing the fic, while it was just a thought in my head. I will explain my reasoning all in good time, I promise, but for now, ON WITH THE SHOW!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
R&R pls!  
  
___________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Kenshin stared with shocked amethyst eyes and dropped the wakazashi in his hands. It landed with a dull thud on the soft earth of the forest.  
  
"Oro..."  
  
Hideki was a woman.  
  
Kenshin was totally shocked as he gaped at Hideki's exposure. He blinked rapidly, and immediately covered the girl with her gi. He sat down on the wet ground and scrambled to make sense in his mind what he just saw.  
  
'Those were breasts. Definatly breasts. But Hideki's a guy. Not a girl. So I must be hurt somewhere and losing blood. That's it, I'm hallucinating,' Kenshin thought. He then proceeded to check himself over looking for any wounds. None. Kenshin swallowed and looked down at Hideki again.  
  
"I was hallucinating." Kenshin said firmly, then grabbed the blood soaked gi and opened it again.  
  
He froze.  
  
"I'm not hallucinating! Ororororororororo!!!" Kenshin fell over and backed away from Hideki. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy SHIT de gozaru!"  
  
'Kenshin no BAKA! Guy or not, Hideki is bleeding badly! Stop the bleeding! Worry about gender later!' Kenshin's mind screamed. He rushed straight to Hideki's side and paid no attention to the obvious 'womanly attributes' that Hideki was showing at the moment as he cleaned the wounds and dressed them using the sliced up bandages. Well, at least the ones that were remotely clean. He did it quickly and closed the gi once again.  
  
Leaning against a tree, Kenshin propped his sword on his shoulder, sighed and looked down at the unconscious guy.. err.. girl. His, no, her breathing was laboured and she was in obvious pain.  
  
"We have to get back to the house. At least there I'll be able to take care of that wound better." Kenshin mumbled to himself. He took a deep breath and got up, pushing himself off the tree and walked over to Hideki's lifeless body.  
  
He gently sat her up, and draped her right arm over his shoulders. He scooped her up into his arms and stood up. She was so light! Why the hell hadn't he noticed that before?! Wait, he had noticed, but never thought any thing of it. At least now the weight difference made sense. He sighed and looked down at the young girl in his arms as he began walking.  
  
"Why are you here?" he asked softly, knowing she couldn't hear him. What had caused her to dress like a man and become a manslayer in the revolution?  
  
'She's a gifted swordsman... errr... swords... woman. WHATEVER! She's gifted. She even has a firm grasp of reading ki, and being able to block hers. She's been a Hitokiri for 4 years and fooled everyone! At least, I think she fooled everyone. I don't know if she's told anyone. Katsura probably knows. He's a very smart man, so he probably knew the second he laid eyes on her.'  
  
'But then, if he knew she was a girl, he probably never would have allowed her to become a manslayer. Okay, scratch that idea. Katsura defiantly does not know. So then why did she become a manslayer? Why does she deny her gender and introduce herself as a man?'  
  
More and more questions flew through Kenshin's head as he made his way down the mountain, carrying Hideki the entire time. Questions were one thing, but emotions were totally another. All sorts of emotions were running though his being, confusing him to no ends. But one was most prevalent.  
  
Anger. He was pissed that she lied to him, and to everyone else. But then, she was probably feeling the worse about not telling anyone her secret, and she probably had a damn good reason for wanting to be a manslayer. Of course, the only way for that to happen is if she became a he. And that's exactly what she did. She was constantly putting her life in danger and Kenshin didn't like it one bit.  
  
He was no stranger to women. Hell, he was an 18 year old man. He knew women. He knew they were softer, weaker, gentle creatures. They smelled differently, they moved differently, there was an aura about all women that made them seem helpless and defenceless. Kenshin always protected women. They were made to be protected. All the women he knew, even Tomoe, were quiet, subservient beings that lived to cook, clean, and wait on the man or men of their lives. He never knew women such as Hideki existed.  
  
Hiko's strange outlook on women hadn't helped Kenshin as he grew up either. His master always viewed women as pleasurable beings, which were made to be with... sexually. He pounded the Hiten Mitsurugi style into Kenshin as much as he pounded that viewpoint. Lucky for Kenshin, he paid no never mind to Hiko's view on women casting it aside as drunken babble, since that was usually when Hiko would go on rants about women. He learned his own way, and through Tomoe, that women were gentle and didn't always like to be treated as objects for a man's pleasure.  
  
However, Hideki had thrown a wrench into his thought processes on women the second he sliced her bandages off. Here was a woman who was strong and totally self sufficient. She lived on her own for the last 4 years, he knew that for sure. She could have been alone for much longer. She was independent, ambitious, emotionless... a killer. She was a manslayer. He could smell the blood from her.  
  
Her strength and skill was no mystery to him either, he had seen it first hand. Something stirred deep within him. Remorse? Regret? Pity? Did he feel sorry for her? That she had to live her life like this? Away from her true calling as a woman? Kenshin looked down at the girl in his arms as he continued walking.  
  
Her gi had parted slightly, showing the slight curve of her breasts, and the valley between them. He felt the stirring again. No. It wasn't any of the thoughts that had flashed in his head moments before. It was lust. For the first time in his life, he felt the stirring of lust that Hiko had drawled on about every time he drank excess amounts of sake. However, Hiko always talked of lust when concerned with quiet, demure women; the dainty women, wearing beautiful kimonos and intricately tied obis. Those kinds of women had never caused him to react the way he was as he looked down at Hideki. Not even Tomoe stirred lust into his being. She was pure and virtuous. She never caused him to feel the burning need he was feeling as he looked at Hideki. Whenever he and Tomoe were... together, it was always gentle, soft, and slow.  
  
But Hideki was different. Here was a woman, laying in his arms, who looked like she never wore a kimono, or tied an obi in her entire life, and she was stirring the most primitive desires through Kenshin.  
  
"Kuso, damn you Shisho!" he grumbled. He blamed Hiko for his one sided view on women. Kenshin never knew women could be like Hideki. Strong, skilled and still appealing to a man. He always believed women to be the weaker sex. HA! The thought now made him want to laugh out loud. Hideki was the only person with enough skill to fight him to a draw. Not that he had an ego about his skill, but when your name strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies, you have a tendency to feel a bit proud.  
  
"Weaker sex indeed, de gozaru yo." He muttered, casting lustful thoughts from his mind as he forced himself to concentrate on anything but the unconscious girl in his arms.  
  
He had been walking for several hours at this point, so he stopped, gently laying Hideki down, and dropping himself down to sit next to her. He leaned against a tree and propped his sword against his shoulder, as usual. He looked down at Hideki's sleeping form and allowed his eyes to roam over her features.  
  
She was beautiful. He couldn't deny that. When she was a he, everyone commented on her pretty face. Calling her "pretty boy" and the taunts were ever worse when Kenshin was with her. He too had a pretty boy face, he couldn't deny it. But her younger, less masculine features had always been attributed to her youth just like Kenshin. Never her gender. It was never questioned.  
  
He vaguely remembered the bandages she had wrapped around her body. There was extra wrapped around her abdomen, thickening her waist and hiding her curves to make her look more like a man. The bandages that had bound her breasts were tight, flattening them and making her look powerfully built in the chest. The loose gi had covered any discrepancies that may have been present. She had been successful in her attempt to turn herself into a man. However, now that he knew, she would never look like a man again. Not after almost all of her body had been revealed to him.  
  
Kenshin shook his head to clear his thoughts again. He hated thinking like that. He felt that thinking about another woman like he was currently doing, was betraying the memory of his dead wife. He couldn't do that.  
  
Kenshin looked at the sword tucked into her hakama ties at her waist, then to her hands. Her small hands that were covered in calluses from wielding a sword for many years and stained from the blood of men she had killed. Kenshin frowned at that thought.  
  
As attractive as she was to him right now, she was still the same person who, hours before hand, had pulled a sword from her chest and then proceeded to use it as a weapon. She was strong. Probably made of something stronger than anyone he ever met. And she was jaded. He could see it in her eyes as she fought. Something in her past caused her to be what she was. She was also fighting a battle with inner demons. Twice last night he felt the change in her ki. He knew it was bloodlust since he himself had experienced it. Maybe her constant battle with the demon caused her to have such strength. She would have to if she could use two katanas against an army of shinsengumi and come out unscathed.... Well, sort of. Kenshin was still in awe of the power she exuded as she swung those swords without hesitation.  
  
He sighed and looked away from her, leaning his head against the tree and stared up into the early morning sky.  
  
He needed some sleep. He and Hideki had been awake for over a day with little food. They had been sparring each other yesterday morning, walking half a day to get to base camp yesterday evening, standing in a clearing last night waiting, and locked in a brutal battle just hours before hand. With the previous days events flowing through his mind, Kenshin lowered his head, and slipped into a light sleep, the last thing he saw was Hideki sleeping next to him.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Hideki slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes opened ever so slightly only to see the handsome red-head leaning against a tree next to her and sleeping. Slightly disorientated, Hideki sat up, only to have a sharp pain erupt at her side. She grimaced and grabbed her chest. That's when she noticed her bandages had been cut away and used to wrap her wound.  
  
Memories flooded back into her mind. Himura punching her, tearing open her gi to get at her injury, using his short sword to slice off the bandages, then his shocked face. Her secret was out...  
  
And it was Battousai the manslayer who had discovered it.  
  
"Oh shit." She mumbled.  
  
"'Oh shit' is right." came a reply. Hideki slowly turned towards Himura, expecting to see very angry yellow Battousai eyes. She was shocked to see amethyst eyes looking back at her. They weren't angry. There wasn't a trace of anger in any of Himura's features. There was something different, something she had never seen in his eyes before as he continued to stare at her.  
  
'He's lost his trust in me', she thought as she stared right back at him. 'This secret should never have been kept from him, especially since he taught me his sword style.'  
  
She felt horrible. She always had. She hated keeping her secret. But it was necessary for her if she was going to do what she could for the new era. She knew the second her secret was revealed she would have to leave the imperialists. But somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she wasn't ready to leave yet. Leaving now wasn't an option open to her. She felt that her job wasn't done yet. The war hadn't reached the point of no return yet. There were still battles to be won and an old empire to be torn down.  
  
Of course, with the revelation on hand, she knew that her time with the Battousai was over. Gone was any friendship and trust they had forged between each other over the last few weeks the second he sliced her bandages off. She would miss his company; they were good friends, and being in his presence somehow helped in her inner battle too. Once again she would be alone during this war. And for the first time, as she stared into his amethyst eyes, she didn't want to be alone.  
  
"Uhm..." Himura held up his hand to stop her.  
  
"How do you feel?" he asked.  
  
"About as well as I should feel considering I was impaled by a sword a few hours ago." was her reply. She stood up, using her katana as a brace to rise onto shaky feet. Himura was immediately on his feet, ready to help. She glared at him, then put her sword in her sash at her waist. The worst part about her secret being revealed was that Himura would now treat her like glass, as he did any woman. Even though he knew she was tough. Hell, she had been his sparring partner for 3 weeks!  
  
Kenshin sensed, as well as saw, her anger at his gesture to help her stand. He backed off, not wanting to insult her. She had, after all, survived this long in the revolution without his help.  
  
"Well, it was nice getting to know you Himura, I swear the secrets of the Hiten Mitsurugi will come with me to my grave" Hideki said. She turned her back to Himura and began to walk away, slightly wobbly since she was still weak from blood loss and lack of nourishment.  
  
Kenshin was confused. He didn't want her to walk away. He didn't want to lose her companionship. As he looked at her now, he knew that he would never act upon his desires. For one, the friendship they had meant more to him than any sexual encounter would, and for another she would probably skin him alive. He knew that their togetherness over the last few weeks had meant a lot to her too, yet she was easily turning her back to him and walking away. Had he angered her? Was she pissed that he had forced his help upon her, much to his own shock and her dismay?  
  
"Then again, I lied to you, why should you trust me?"  
  
Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. She thought he didn't trust her anymore. And if it were anyone else, he wouldn't. Admittedly, if it were anyone else, he probably would have killed them. But not her. Not Hideki. He still trusted her. Maybe more now than he did before.  
  
"I still trust you, Hideki." Himura said quietly. Hideki stopped dead in her tracks. "I'm impressed more than anything. You kept your true gender from me. And we lived together for 3 weeks."  
  
Hideki laughed.  
  
"Himura, you are the only person alive right now who knows I'm not actually a man." she said, turning back around to face him. He noted her voice had changed slightly, it wasn't as rough or deep like what he was used to, it was slightly softer, more feminine. "That's 18 years of keeping my true gender from EVERYONE. A mere three weeks with one person isn't that difficult for me. But I'll admit there were a few times when I was sure you would find out." She smiled.  
  
"It was the sparring that gave me a slight hint. But I thought nothing of it." he replied, smiling back.  
  
His smile coupled with his amethyst eyes and red hair caused Hideki's stomach to clench. Himura had always been handsome, but now with the Battousai gone from his eyes and the true Kenshin standing before her, she saw both sides, and found the man on a whole to be particularly divine.  
  
Okay, so the attraction had been there from day one. It wasn't much since it couldn't have been at 14 years of age. But she had found him cute that first day. Only a passing thought, and never dwelled upon again, at least not until three weeks ago. Sitting in that room, waiting for Katsura and staring at each other, Hideki's appreciation for Himura's looks increased tenfold. She had grown up in their four years apart, as had he. He was much more matured in the face, although the amber eyes were as frightening as rumoured, her fright towards him was fleeting and never felt again. She was probably the only human being alive at the time that wasn't afraid of the Hitokiri Battousai.  
  
That lack of fear caused them to strengthen their friendship. And the trust they had was far more important than the strange sensations that would burn in the depths of her stomach any time she stole a glance at him. Act upon her desire for him? No. She would never do that.  
  
She wobbled slightly on her feet, exhaustion, starvation, thirst and blood loss all combined to make her look and feel terrible. She closed her eyes and covered them with her hand. Kenshin, hating to see her like that and not caring about the repercussions, covered the few steps between them and grabbed her elbow, steadying her.  
  
"Let me help." he said softly. She opened angry eyes at him and jerked out of his grasp. He was treating her like glass, just as she expected him too.  
  
"I don't need help!" she said angrily. Unfortunately, her anger was quickly dispelled as her movements caused her stomach to heave and her vision to cloud over. Clenching her eyes shut and covering them again, she ordered her body to behave and act stronger. She didn't want to be weak. She didn't want to rely on anyone. But her body ignored her, fed up with the abuse it went through in the last day. She swayed more and her legs gave out under her. Kenshin was there to grab her before she hit the ground.  
  
He knew why she was angry. She thought he would start treating her differently. He thought he would too, and had every intention to.  
  
"You're badly injured Hideki. You're exhausted, hungry, and you've lost a lot of blood. I'm helping you whether you like it or not." Kenshin said firmly as he scooped her up into his arms again. She tried to fight him, but he was stronger than she was in her weakened state. She couldn't fight him. He started walking again, towards their final destination.  
  
"Himura, not like this. This is degrading. Please let me walk." Hideki said softly against his chest.  
  
"Only if you'll let me help you." He said firmly. She nodded against him. He stopped dead and put her back on her feet. She swayed again and fell against him, her face pressed into his neck, his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close. He could feel her breath against his skin, causing him to shudder inside. His own face was buried in her neck and as he breathed, she felt shivers run down her spine. Her hands pressed flat against his chest, her body pressed firmly against his. Both clenched their eyes shut and tried to push all indecent thoughts from their heads.  
  
It was the smell that brought them back to reality. Both of them were still covered in blood. It was on their clothes, in their hair, and whatever had been on their skin had been washed away from the rain. But the smell was still there.  
  
Overpowering. Disgusting.  
  
Simultaneously they pushed away from each other. Any attraction that had been between them was lost forever in that moment. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both knowing what the other was thinking. Friends and friends only. Nothing more nothing less.  
  
Kenshin knew then and there that man or not, he would treat Hideki exactly the same. Hideki knew that even if she was a girl, he would continue to regard her as a swords master and a manslayer first and foremost.  
  
"Just let me help you, you can barely walk on your own." he said and stepped up to her. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and draped her right arm over his shoulder, holding it in place with his hand. Hideki nodded, unable to deny the simple fact that she was pretty much useless in her condition. Leaning most of her weight on Himura, they began the long walk back to the house.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
It was nearly dusk when the finally reached the training grounds and the house where they were staying. They had taken their time leaving the forest and making their way back, stopping frequently to rest and listen to see if they were being followed. They had found a clean river and washed whatever stench of blood off themselves they could, as well as having a bit of water to drink. Himura, blushing slightly, unwrapped and cleaned Hideki's wounds. He washed the bandages as best he could in the river, then rewrapped the ugly red cuts.  
  
As they drew nearer the house, they could see lights burning beyond the windows. Someone was waiting for them. There was a soldier standing at the main entrance to the house, and he saw the approaching manslayers. He opened the door and ran in.  
  
"Yamagata-sama! Katsura-sama! They're back! Battousai and his companion are back!" the young man exclaimed, bursting into the room where Katsura, Yamagata and Shinsaku were waiting. The three men left the room and followed the young soldier outside.  
  
Hideki saw the four men emerge from the house and felt Himura's arm tighten around her waist. The moment of truth, when everyone would find out about her. She was dreading this moment and glanced over at Himura, for some sort of consolation from his amethyst eyes. But all she saw was amber. He had reverted back to his Battousai self at the sight of the men before them. She bowed her head, looking at the ground as they came to a stop before the men.  
  
"Himura! Hideki! Kami-sama you're alive!" Shinsaku exclaimed, wearing a broad grin.  
  
"Are you two alright? What happened? Where have you been?" Katsura asked. Himura released Hideki's right hand which lay upon his shoulder and held up his hand.  
  
"I'll explain everything, but first" he said, Hideki winced; he was going to tell them. After all, he had a right to, and he never said he wouldn't. Himura was honest with everything, especially to Master Katsura. "Hideki is badly hurt. I want to tend to his wounds before anything else. I'll explain everything when he is resting comfortably."  
  
Hideki froze, but kept her head low. His? HE?! Had Himura actually lied to Master Katsura?!  
  
"Of course, I'm terribly sorry." Katsura said and gestured towards the house.  
  
"I'll help you. His injuries are partly my responsibility." Yamagata said.  
  
"Thank you, Yamagata-san, but with all due respect, a samurai doesn't like looking helpless and wounded. Even to comrades and leaders. I've already tended to his wounds as best I could in the forest, and now I'm sure he would prefer to keep the extent of his injuries just between us both." Himura said. Hideki relaxed slightly.  
  
"Himura is right. What can we do to help?" Katsura asked as they entered the house. Himura made his way down the hall to the room where Hideki had stayed before.  
  
"Please boil me some water, and bring me clean linens to wrap the wound. There's also a medical kit in the kitchen with some healing salve in it. If you could bring that to me I would appreciate it." The three men left the room immediately to do what was asked of them, the soldier had remained outside, standing guard at the door just as he had been when Himura and Hideki returned.  
  
"You didn't have to do that Himura." Hideki said softly as Himura gently sat her on the floor, closing the shoji door and then unfolding her futon in the middle of the room.  
  
"I know. But if I told them the truth, they would have forced you out of the imperialists. Probably by killing you. I don't want that. Besides, I don't want to lose my friend." He said, and then reached out his hand towards her. She took it and he helped her into the futon, covering her up to her neck.  
  
The shoji door slid open again, Katsura, Yamagata and Shinsaku all holding something in their hands as they placed it next to Himura. Then all three left the room.  
  
"We'll be in the tea room when you're finished Himura." Katsura said as he closed the door shut again. Himura went to the small trunk at the corner of the room and pulled out Hideki's yukata and brought it over to her. With his back turned, Hideki removed her blood soaked gi and hakama and donned her yukata.  
  
"Why did you turn around? You've already seen me." Hideki said simply as Himura faced her again. He looked up at her, his eyes amethyst again and smiled.  
  
"A woman shouldn't be naked before a man who isn't her husband." He said grinning. Hideki narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"Was that a shot?" she asked. Kenshin smiled innocently.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of taking a shot at you my dear." He said as he opened the medicine box and pulled out the bottle of salve.  
  
"That was a shot." she grumbled as she shrugged out of the yukata, allowing it to fall about her waist as she sat on the futon. Kenshin blushed slightly and removed the bandages from her wounds. She looked at him in interest. "You're blushing."  
  
"Aa."  
  
She smiled.  
  
Using some of the clean linen, Kenshin wet it with warm water and washed the wounds carefully and thoroughly. Hideki watched him as he carefully applied some salve on the entry and exit holes left from the katana. She marvelled at how gentle his hands were, knowing full well the power that the emitted when he held a sword. She felt very little pain through the whole procedure. Kenshin picked up the rest of the clean linen and used it to wrap around her, the salve kept it in place as he continued to wrap it around her. He was silent the whole time. His eyes didn't roam once, she noted. He looked only at her wounds, and nothing else. A gentleman to the end. that was Kenshin.  
  
"Done. Nothing strenuous for the next few days. You're going to rest, you got it?" he said as she pulled the yukata back on.  
  
"Yes, brother."  
  
Kenshin froze, still holding the bottle of salve. He looked up at her, amethyst meeting blue.  
  
'Brother, she just called me brother,' He thought. She smiled at him and he felt himself smiling back. 'I liked it.'  
  
"Excuse me, dear sister, but there are three very important people in the other room waiting for an explanation." He said, replacing the lid on the medical box. "Rest. I'll check on you once they leave"  
  
"Promise me you'll take care of yourself first. Get something to eat." She replied, sinking down onto the futon and pulling the sheets gently over her. He nodded then stood up and left the room quietly, ensuring to close the shoji behind him.  
  
'I defiantly could get used to her calling me brother.'  
  
'I really liked being called sister.'  
  
A family bond grew between Himura and Hideki that day.  
  
_______________________________  
  
A.N. Okay, no cliff hanger this time, I can't do it again. This chapter was just for explanation purposes. I didn't want Kenshin to fall for Hideki. He loved Tomoe, and he loved Kaoru. That's it for romantic love for Kenshin as far as I'm concerned. But we all know he's fiercely protective and he loves/loved several other people in his life as a man would love his family. So I figured a family relationship would be better for those two.  
  
As for the attraction thing. Well, who wouldn't be attracted to the red- head? I mean really? In the anime/manga there were several women who were attracted to the baka-rurouni. As for Kenshin's attraction to Hideki, c'mon! He's an 18 year old! We all know that at 18, men are at their sexual peaks so I had to write it in. Besides, I always wondered why Kenshin's taste in women went from one extreme (Tomoe and her perfect breeding) to the other (Kaoru, and her fiery temper, bad cooking, and complete inability to do anything wife like). There had to be someone along the way to change his mind. I figured why not Hideki??  
  
And besides, once I decided to introduce the idea of brother/sister, the whole attraction thing was totally forgotten. I didn't want something like that between them in the long run. It was just that initial sorta thing when you see someone and find them really attractive, then you get to know them better and your opinion changes and you love them like a brother/sister.  
  
*shrugs* Anyways, I hope you liked it, R&R!  
  
P.S. Thanks for all the reviews! :D 


	6. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own RK blah blah blah....  
  
A.N. Writing and editing are therapeutic. This is a new discovery I have made. I never knew this about myself. Family has begun to drive me insane. So here's the next chapter, a little sooner than expected. For the most part, it's about Hideki and how she managed to end up in the Revolution disguised as a man.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
R&R Pls!  
  
__________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Himura opened the door to the tea room and entered silently. All three men watched him as he set aside his sword and sat down on the waiting cushion. He was still covered in blood. They could see it on his blue gi and grey hakama. His exposed skin and hair were cleaned they could see. But the smell was still there. Yamagata shifted uncomfortably; he wasn't used to dealing with the odour like Katsura or Shinsaku. Himura noticed Yamagata's movement, and also knew that it had to do with his smell. Hell, even he was disgusted at how he smelled, but he couldn't exactly ask Katsura Kogoro, Yamagata Aritomo and Takasugi Shinsaku to wait while he bathed, cleaned his clothes and allowed them to dry. It was better that he got the explanation over with and get them out.  
  
"How is Hideki?" Katsura asked.  
  
"He'll be fine. He needs to rest for a few days so his injury can heal."  
  
"How did he get injured?" Yamagata piped up. Himura turned his glance at Yamagata, he was still a bit sore about the ambush. They had defiantly been set up. And someone was going to pay for injuring Hideki.  
  
"He was impaled by a Shinsengumi samurai."  
  
"What? Shinsengumi?" Katsura exclaimed.  
  
"They were ambushed by a few squads of Shinsengumi. We have a spy in out midst." Shinsaku said quietly. Himura stiffened at the word 'spy'... Tomoe was supposedly a spy. And at first she was, but things changed as they lived together. Even the mention of the word 'spy' upset Himura. His amber eyes narrowed at Shinsaku who flatly refused to maintain eye contact with the Hitokiri.  
  
Katsura was visibly angry. Yamagata and Shinsaku both claimed their soldiers were trustworthy, and he never questioned them. But after seeing the blood soaked and weakened Hideki he began to wonder.  
  
"A spy?! A SPY! Damnit Shinsaku! I trusted you and your soldiers to keep these men alive and in one piece! And yet, one of them returned severely injured!" Katsura yelled.  
  
He had a point, but Himura held up his hand. He wasn't used to seeing Katsura this angry. Nor had he ever seen him express his anger so vehemently. Katsura took a few deep breaths. He knew he had to be sensible in order to be able to think of a strategy for payback.  
  
"I'm sorry. We didn't know." Yamagata said quietly.  
  
"You mentioned you had a spy. Do you know who it is?" Himura asked.  
  
Pause.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
All three men looked at Himura in surprise at his tone. It was quietly menacing, deep, gravely, and very angry. Himura had his amber eyes locked on his sword laying beside him. They all knew what he was thinking; he wanted to kill the spy. He wanted to make the man suffer.  
  
"Himura." Katsura started.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
More frightening, more angry, amber flashed.  
  
"It wasn't a man." Shinsaku said.  
  
Himura froze. Not a man? He looked up at Shinsaku.  
  
"It wasn't a man?" he echoed.  
  
"Well, not directly. It was a geisha who got her information from an unwitting soldier." replied Shinsaku. Himura's eyes widened slightly. The spy being a woman and getting information from an unwitting young man was hitting too close to home for him.  
  
"She worked for the shinsengumi, she was a contact between the ishinshishi and the shinsengumi. The boy, unprepared for his first sexual experience and trying to impress the woman, talked about knowing that the Battousai and another manslayer was going to ambush the soldiers. As much as the shinsengumi doesn't like the opposition, they still wanted to bring down the strongest imperialists. So they struck a deal with the tokugawa army and prepared to ambush you both." Shinsaku said quietly.  
  
"A woman." Himura breathed. He couldn't believe it. A woman had been the leak. Boy, this day was defiantly a day of revelations with respect to women. "What do you plan to do with her?"  
  
"We'll kill her." Katsura said simply. "If you'll excuse me, I must get back to Kyoto." He stood suddenly, Shinsaku followed suit and Yamagata mirrored both men. Katsura had a plan forming in his head and he needed to get back to Kyoto in order to put in into action.  
  
"Take care of yourself and Hideki, Himura." Shinsaku said as the three men left the room, leaving a bewildered Battousai at their sudden urge to leave. Well, Katsura's sudden urge to leave, and the other two just following.  
  
His stomach rumbled suddenly, bringing him back to the present. He was very hungry, and he still smelled of blood. Bath first, then food. It would give him a chance to get rid of some of the smell that constantly emitted from his body, and give Hideki some time to get some much needed sleep. Then he'd bring in some food for her, since she was probably very hungry too.  
  
He stood up, grabbed his sword and made his way to the bath house. Starting the fire and allowing the water to heat, he went to find a change of clothes and a towel. He returned to the bath and tore the clothes off his person. He quickly rinsed and slid into the warm water. A bath wasn't something he often longed for, but after the last 24 hours, he found the water to be soothing on his grated nerves. Feeling slightly better, and noticing the bloody smell had diminished slightly, he climbed out of the tub and put on his yukata.  
  
He left the bath house, carrying his bloody clothes with him, and made his way to the main house. He threw his gi and hakama with the rest of the laundry, thinking that he would do it later, after fixing some food for himself and Hideki.  
  
Somehow, the mundane task of fixing dinner and doing the laundry seemed strangely appealing. It was much better than killing people that was for sure. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could see himself doing things like this day to day and enjoying it.  
  
"Better than killing people." He mumbled, as he prepared a tray to bring into Hideki.  
  
"What's better than killing people?" a soft voice said behind him. Himura whirled around only to see a sleep-dishevelled young woman. For a moment he didn't recognize her. Her long brown hair was loose and flowing down her back, her blue eyes gentle and questioning, her fist clutched to her yukata to keep it closed. Himura blinked, amber swiftly fading to amethyst. The girl was Hideki. "What?" she asked suddenly feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. Kenshin smiled.  
  
"You look totally different." he said. "You're very pretty." She smiled and blushed at his compliment. His smile vanished an instant later. "What the hell are you doing up?!" he exclaimed, grabbing her by the elbow and pushing her back towards her room.  
  
"I was hungry! I thought you were still with Master Katsura so I thought I'd fix us some food." She said. Kenshin continued to push her towards her room.  
  
"Master Katsura, Yamagata-san and Takasugi-san have all left. I've cooked something to eat for us, but you're not eating anything if you're not in your bed!" he scolded, treating her like a child. She rolled her eyes as they entered her room.  
  
"Himura, I'm not a child. In case you've forgotten, I kill people for a living." She muttered as he pushed her back onto the futon.  
  
"I know, I know. I do too, now please stay here. I'll bring you something to eat." He said, and got up to leave.  
  
"Bring something for you too. I hate eating alone." She called after him. He nodded and left to grab the onigiri and miso soup he had hastily put together earlier and returned to her room.  
  
"Once you finish, I want you to get some sleep. You need your rest if you want to get better." Kenshin said as he placed a tray over her legs and put a bowl of miso in front of her. He paused to see that she was staring at him, smiling. "What?" asking the exact same question she had asked him minutes before hand.  
  
"You really are like a doting brother. It's very endearing, and very strange to see you like this, Himura." she said as she continued to smile at him. He smiled back at her.  
  
"Kenshin."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Kenshin. Please, call me Kenshin."  
  
Hideki blinked at him, momentarily shocked. Himura had always been what she called him. To call him by his first name would be too... familiar. It would be strange to say the least. She shook her head.  
  
"I couldn't."  
  
"You could. And you should." he replied simply as he bit into an onigiri. Hideki transferred her attention away from Himura who knelt at her side, to the tray of food before her. He watched her pause for a moment, staring at the food. "It's not poisoned. I'm not that bad of a cook." She laughed, picked up a rice ball and took a bite.  
  
"Wow! This is good Himura! Not bad, for a man." She said, grinning. He grinned back.  
  
"Kenshin." He said again.  
  
"Himura... I can't." Hideki said softly. Bowing her head. "I can't call you that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I can't."  
  
He paused. She was looking at her and her hands as they clenched on her lap. Her reluctance to call him by his first name raised some questions in his head.  
  
'Why can't she? What stops her? Why does she insist on calling me Himura? She only calls me Battousai when we joke around. She isn't afraid of me at all, and yet... the prospect of calling me by my first name seems to terrify her.'  
  
But then, he remembered their first meeting, her animosity at her namesake, the bitterness in her voice as she talked about her "pathetic excuse for a father" as she put it.  
  
'Maybe she doesn't want to call me by my first name, since she herself doesn't have one. Or maybe, she does, and didn't tell me then because it was a female name, and she was passing herself off as a man.'  
  
They continued to eat in silence for a while. Himura was lost in thought, while Hideki concentrated of consuming as much food as she could before she got tired. Her sword wound was killing her with every breath she took, with every move of her arms, with every swallow as she tried to eat.  
  
"What's your name?" Himura suddenly asked quietly. Hideki paused, her bowl halfway to her mouth as she looked over the brim at Himura. He kept his head bowed and looked at his empty tray. Hideki slowly put the bowl down and took a deep breath.  
  
"I don't have one." She said, repeating herself once again to Himura.  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"Then don't, but I am telling you the truth."  
  
"Then... why?"  
  
She knew what he was asking. He wasn't simply asking for her name. He was asking for her past. What happened to her in her short life to have her end up thrown into the middle of the revolution as a manslayer? He wanted to know why she lacked a first name, why she killed, where she learned her swordsmanship, what happened to her family....  
  
Hideki pushed her tray away and sighed.  
  
"I guess there's no way I can rest until I tell you."  
  
"That's right." Kenshin said as he gathered up the dishes and stood. "But not yet. Let me take these back to the kitchen, then you can fill me in."  
  
"What if I don't want to?" she called to his retreating back. He stopped in the frame and looked over his shoulder.  
  
"Did I give you the choice?"  
  
Arguing with Himura the Battousai always proved to be fatal, since he usually won the argument by killing his opponent. Arguing with Himura Kenshin proved to be impossible. Kami-sama he was stubborn! Hideki sighed in resignation. Knowing that any arguments were futile she relented. Gathering the blankets from the futon, she crawled to one of the walls, propped herself against it and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders. She needed the back support, and she didn't want to be laying down as she explained her past to him. Kenshin walked in and found her like that, knowing that he was in for a long conversation, he sat next to her.  
  
She took a deep breath, and began.  
  
"I never knew my mother. She died giving birth to me. My father was a drunk, a gambler and an all around bastard. He was furious with my mother for dying while giving birth to me, and for having saddled him with a little girl. He had wanted a boy. So from what I can piece together from slurred comments he made while drunk, when he arrived home the night of my birth he found his wife dead in a pool of blood, a crying baby girl and two options. One: dump the body of his wife, along with the little girl or two: dump the body of his wife and keep the girl. He went with option two."  
  
Hideki closed her eyes at the onslaught of painful memories from her childhood. Kenshin watched her silently, his face totally emotionless as her words passed over him.  
  
"He dumped the body of my mother somewhere, cleaned up the blood and raised me as he saw fit. You see, he had a plan. His baby boy was going to be a famous yakuza manslayer. Everyone would fear his boy, and in return, they would fear him. Being born a girl was a minor hitch in his plan. He was determined to have a boy, and didn't want to wait any longer than necessary. He had a baby in his possession. He was the only one who knew what the baby's gender was. So he raised me as he would raise a son. Hell, even I didn't know I was a girl. I thought all boys were like me."  
  
Kenshin remained still. His heart wrenched at the thought of a little girl thinking she was a little boy and could only imagine the emotional chaos that she felt when she realized her whole existence was a lie.  
  
"He gave me my first sword at five years of age. He began to teach me all he knew about swordsmanship then too. Looking back it wasn't that much; basically how to hold a sword properly and swing it. All my attacks, my speed, my agility, I learned somewhat on my own."  
  
Hideki fell silent at some bitter memory. She closed her eyes and did everything in her power to stop herself from crying. Summoning all her self control, she took a deep breath and willed the tears to stop. She couldn't cry. Not for any reason. She was a manslayer and manslayers don't cry.  
  
"I killed a man for the first time when I was seven." She whispered. Kenshin watched her hand fist into the blanket tightly, her knuckles went white. "My father, disgusted with the fact that I wasn't getting stronger, decided to make me learn to be strong on my own. He told one man, a drunk like himself and who was a known pedophile, that his son was actually his daughter. The man, not one to hesitate when a little girl crosses his path, grabbed me one day and tried to force himself on me."  
  
She shuddered, drawing her knees closer to her body at the thought. Kenshin placed a reassuring hand over her own which was still fisted in the blankets and nodded for her to go on.  
  
"I found out I was a girl that day when that man stripped off his clothes presented himself to me and told me where it went. He had me pinned by the shoulders, and already my legs had been parted by his." Her tone became deeper, more menacing with each word she said. Kenshin watched her reverting to her old self, the one he was used to, Hideki, the manslayer. "I did all I could to protect myself. Using the small sword I always had with me, I stabbed him straight through the heart, killing him instantly."  
  
She paused at the memory.  
  
"It was the first time I tasted blood."  
  
Kenshin tried to think how at seven years old, she had been dealt a huge emotional blow and managed to survive. At seven, he watched the entire slave trader company he belonged to get slaughtered by bandits. It was the first time he held a sword and saw blood, but he didn't spill any of it. He couldn't fathom how a seven year old could handle killing someone. Her voice brought him back from his own memories.  
  
"I wasn't upset that I had killed a man. But I was upset that I had lived a lie up to that point. I was very angry at my father for making me believe I was a boy. And at seven years old, I vowed to become stronger, and kill my father.  
  
"He had other ideas. He knew how to train me now. So for the next 6 years, he continually set men upon me, to attack, to kill, to rob, anything. I grew stronger, not by killing my attackers. I didn't take a single life for those whole 6 years. I wouldn't give my father the benefit of being related to a great killer; instead I allowed him the benefit of being the father of a strong swordsman who didn't kill. To the women, the geisha's and the whores, he was a hero. To the men, he was a laughing stock. It was the laughing that made him furious. So each and every time he sent men to attack me, he would send more and more, hoping to release my bloodlust and have me kill again.  
  
"He got his wish, and more than he bargained for. The revolution had begun and I wanted to join it. I wanted peace. I didn't want another living soul to live the same way I did. And I wanted to be away from my father, as far away as humanly possible.  
  
"On the night I left to join the imperialists, he was increasingly frustrated with my non-killing defeats of all those men. So 15 yakuza manslayers, with my father included, descended on me as I made my way home from the market. I killed each and every one of them, leaving my father for last. I wanted his last moments to be the most frightening moments of his entire life. I watched his face, frozen in fear as I easily killed the other 14 highly trained yakuza manslayers. I turned to him, only to see he had soiled himself and was begging for his life. I refused him his last request and relished the sound of my sword slicing through him."  
  
Hideki's piercing blue eyes had returned during her talk. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and her voice had taken on the same tone as it usually had while she was pretending to be a man.  
  
"I joined the revolution, and 6 months later, I met you. The rest is history." She said, looking over at Kenshin. He locked eyes with her for a few moments, totally shocked at her courage, strength and perseverance through her horrible life. And he could plainly see where the cold blooded Hitokiri had come from. Not to mention where the demons of bloodlust first found their grip on her being.  
  
"You still didn't tell me your name." Kenshin said softly, staring into her blue eyes. Hideki smiled.  
  
"I don't have one. If I was ever given one, it was by my mother, and no one heard it. My father only called me 'boy' and it really wasn't until I had a thought pattern on my own that I bothered asking about a name. I found out my mother's last name was Hideki, so I chose that and introduced myself as Hideki."  
  
"Everyone should have a first name. Why not choose one now?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"Names are something other people give you. I already broke that rule by naming myself 'Hideki' but I couldn't introduce myself as 'boy' could I? Besides, I have no use for a first name. Hideki serves me well enough." Hideki said simply. Kenshin smiled and shook his head.  
  
"You have a use now. Actually, I have a use now. I find calling you Hideki when you look like a woman is very disconcerting." Kenshin laughed. She smiled; his laugh was very nice to hear. She wasn't used to feeling contentment. But sitting with Kenshin and just talking, she found it.  
  
"Then why don't you give me a name?" she said. Kenshin sobered at that thought and shook his head.  
  
"I couldn't do that. I have no right to."  
  
"You are the only person even remotely close to me. You are the closest thing I've ever had to a family. I wouldn't want any other person to choose a name for me. Besides, you would be the only one to use it, so you may as well choose it."  
  
"Sakura." He said softly. She smiled.  
  
"Sakura sounds very nice, maybe a little too nice for someone as stained as me. Why Sakura?" she asked.  
  
"It was one of my sister's names. Not a blood sister, but I considered them sisters. They were a part of the slave group that I belonged to. When we were attacked by bandits, they laid their lives down to protect me. You do the same. I think it's perfect for you." Kenshin replied, smiling. Hideki smiled in return.  
  
"Hideki Sakura." She said softly.  
  
"It suits you." Kenshin smiled. He pushed himself off the wall and stood up. "It's time we both got some sleep. Oyasumi, Sakura."  
  
"Oyasumi, Kenshin." Sakura said. He stopped at her door again, smiled over his shoulder at her, and went to his own room.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
It had been three days of peace for the two manslayers. Sakura was on the mend, and their friendship had blossomed into a family relationship. She considered Kenshin to be her brother, and he considered Sakura to be his sister. They lived a peaceful existence for three short days.  
  
The two were outside enjoying the summer breeze, Sakura sat on the porch while Kenshin was crouched over the laundry tub, scrubbing.  
  
"I can't believe you know how to do the laundry!" Sakura laughed.  
  
"Well, what do you expect? I lived with my Shisho for quite a number of years, and he was never one to so such 'unmanly things'. He made ME do all the laundry!"  
  
She laughed again and he joined her.  
  
"I can only imagine little Kenshin crouched next to a river grumbling as he's forced to scrub his Shisho's undergarments." Kenshin laughed even louder at that comment. It was true. He did grumble any time he found Hiko's personal effects in with the pile of laundry.  
  
"Well, he did soften the blow. Once I finished the laundry he always had tea ready for me." Kenshin said slyly over his shoulder. Sakura laughed again. She was radiant when she laughed. Her whole face lit up with mirth. Each passing day she looked more and more like the woman she should have been, than the man she had become. Her brown hair had been left loose and flowing softly down her back, she wore Kenshin's blue yukata since hers was in the wash. She never bothered to put her gi and hakama on during the last three days for two reasons: 1) she had no need, she wasn't allowed to train; Kenshin wouldn't let her, and 2) the bandages she would need to wear in order to put on the gi would be too tight around her wounds, and cause her unnecessary pain. So she didn't bother putting it on.  
  
As she was, sitting on the porch, legs folded neatly under her, hair down, and a smile on her face, there was absolutely no way to mistake her for a man. Of course, the tightly tied sash about her waist didn't hide the obvious womanly curves she possessed either.  
  
"I'll take that as a hint." She said, and stood up to go to the kitchen. Getting tea was pretty much all she was allowed to do. Kenshin flatly refused to allow her to do anything strenuous; going so far as to threaten to punch her in the stomach again if he caught her doing anything aside from making tea. She went to the door and slid it open to enter the house. Someone tall, wearing a black kimono, stood in her way. She gasped, horrified that someone had managed to sneak this far into their house and not alert either manslayer and then slapped her hand over her mouth. She was angry at herself for letting her guard down, and for emitting the frightened gasp, making her feel even more helpless than she already did.  
  
Kenshin whirled around hearing Sakura's gasp. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to draw it. He was also prepared to launch himself forward and put himself between Sakura and the attacker who stood in the door way. Kenshin blinked, his amethyst eyes vanished and were replaced by amber when he looked into the face of the man in the door whose presence brought whatever peace they had built in the last few days to a halt, forcing both manslayers back to reality.  
  
Katsura Kogoro.  
  
He was staring wide eyed at the girl before him. One hand was clamped over her mouth; her eyes were wide with shock and horror. The other hand was clutched to her yukata, keeping it closed over her chest.  
  
Hideki's world came to a crashing halt. Very aware that she was wearing Himura's yukata and that she looked undeniably female she watched Katsura's face for any sign of recognition. She saw his lips move, but wasn't able to depict anything he said, the shock had caused her ears to malfunction momentarily. But she heard one thing spoken clear as day.  
  
"....Hideki?"  
  
Katsura Kogoro had found out her secret.  
  
__________________________________  
  
A.N. Okay, in the OVA Trust & Betrayal there were three women in the slave group little Shinta was a part of. Their names were Akane, Kasumi, and Sakura. Akane reminds me of a black haired tomboy who beats the crap out of her half-man half-woman fiancé. Kasumi reminds me of a young woman who cooks, loves her family dearly, and says 'Oh My'... A LOT! Sakura reminds me of young Sakura in "Sakura Wars". So that's why I chose Sakura. It in no way has anything to do with my pen name. Believe me!  
  
Sorry if this chappie was a tad boring, but we know all about Kenshin and why he's the Battousai and how he conquered his bloodlust. Besides, it wouldn't be very good of me to throw a wrench into the works of this story and make Hideki a woman without telling you what happened to her, right? So that's what this chapter was for. And hey! Cliffhanger ending! Hooray! :D  
  
Tks for the wonderful reviews! You're reviews make me wanna keep writing! Tks! Tks! 


	7. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 6

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine. Etc etc etc...  
  
A.N. Yo! New chapter here. Nothing much, just getting the plot going again. Enjoy!  
  
R&R pls.  
  
Cheers.  
  
____________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 6  
  
".Hideki?"  
  
Katsura Kogoro had found out her secret.  
  
Hideki's heart slammed into her chest. Katsura was the only person alive whom Hideki didn't want her secret known to. But due to her stupidity and lack of preparation, she had just been found out.  
  
"Master Katsura, you startled me." Himura said smoothly, stepping up onto the porch next to Hideki and squeezing her hand, unnoticed by Katsura. Katsura looked from Himura to the girl and back again.  
  
"I startled you?"  
  
"Aa. I was too immersed in my conversation with this young woman to notice anything else." Himura replied. Katsura raised his eyebrows. Himura distracted by a woman to the point where he didn't notice anything aside from her? Even his wife didn't have that effect on him.  
  
He looked down at the young girl before him. She seemed to be staring at him in shock, with some fright laced in her eyes. She had the same colour eyes as his shadow assassin and the same shaped face. He repeated his question from before.  
  
"You look a little familiar. Are you related to Hideki?" Katsura asked again. Hideki blinked, hearing his words for the second time and relief washed over her. He didn't know. She bowed her head slightly, looking down and acting as demurely as she could, considering it was her first time. She had seen geisha's before, acting quiet and womanly. Trying everything in her power, Hideki managed to put on the façade of being a demure woman.  
  
"I'm his sister, Katsura-san." Hideki said, spitting out the first family relationship she could think of. Katsura smiled down at the pretty girl. She was very polite. Thoughts entered Katsura's head immediately as he looked down at the girl.  
  
'She could very well be perfect' he thought.  
  
"Master Katsura, may I present Hideki Sakura." Himura said. Hideki bowed slightly, and Katsura mirrored her bow.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Hideki-san." Hideki smiled slightly and blushed. The smile was genuine, she was trying not to laugh. The blush was fake, just to appease Katsura and make him believe she was a dainty flower, just like her namesake.  
  
"Is there something you needed to talk to me about?" Himura asked Katsura.  
  
"Yes, there is. I need to speak to you and Hideki. Is he doing better?"  
  
"I'm afraid not. My brother sustained serious injury during that battle and his stubbornness forced me to give him a sedative." Hideki replied quietly. "Its rather uncomfortable out here, wouldn't you rather speak in the sitting room?"  
  
Himura nodded and gestured for Katsura to lead the way. Always a gentleman, Katsura stepped aside, giving room for Hideki to pass and lead the two men to the sitting room. Hideki blinked, unsure of why Katsura had moved.  
  
'He should go first, we are his employees after all and we should follow him' she thought.  
  
Himura placed his hand on the small of Hideki's back and gently pushed her forward. Realization dawned on her as she remembered who she was supposed to be. She stepped lightly past Katsura and led the two men to the sitting room.  
  
She opened the door and walked in; setting out two pillows for them to sit on, and then exited the room, motioning them to enter. Katsura went first while Himura paused long enough to whisper to her to get some tea. Hideki glared at him, her eyes quickly turning fierce. He smiled at her, squeezed her hand in reassurance and entered the room. Hideki closed the door behind them.  
  
Himura knew she was feeling resentful and angry at the moment. He had witnessed first hand the intelligence she possessed inside her head and now their slip up of not sensing Katsura had reduced the fierce manslayer to a.. well.. a geisha; a woman who waits on the men who enter her abode. Himura suppressed a smile at that thought. Hideki clad in a luxurious kimono, her face painted white with red lips and darkened eyes. The thought could make him laugh out loud if he had been alone. But the thought of a geisha's other tasks of bringing comfort to men caused him to frown. Hideki wasn't that sort of woman. And a geisha was the crux of the problem that led to Hideki's current predicament. If that geisha hadn't been a spy, Hideki never would have gotten hurt.  
  
"Himura, how is Hideki?" Katsura asked. Himura resisted the urge to roll his eyes. As smart and as powerful a man Katsura was, his view on women was one sided.  
  
"He is just as Sakura-dono said. He refused to remain at rest, so she gave him some sedatives to help him sleep."  
  
Hideki had approached the closed door at that moment, enough time to hear Himura refer to her as 'Sakura-dono'. She had been pretty pissed earlier for having to act as a doting woman because of her own mishap, but hearing the honorific brightened her mood. 'Miss Sakura' HA! Hideki was a lot of things, and none of them ever constituted the use of 'dono' while addressing her. She knelt down next to the door and rapped gently on the wood.  
  
"Enter." She heard Katsura's voice. For the first time in her life she wanted to throttle Katsura for treating her like.. well. a woman. Silently letting out a curse, she slid the door open, moved into the room and closed the door behind her. She placed some sponge cake between the two men, and tea before them both. She made the motion to leave, but Katsura's voice stopped her.  
  
"Hideki-san, please, I'd like you to hear this too, actually I'd like you to be involved." Katsura said. Hideki froze, so did Himura. Katsura wanted a woman involved in something?  
  
"H-Hai, Katsura-san." She said nervously. She seated herself next to Himura and they both waited for Katsura to start talking.  
  
"First, I'd like to inform you both that the woman responsible for Hideki's current situation has been taken care of." Katsura started. Hideki felt the slight change in Himura's ki. They both felt it. Relief. "Second, we have come up with a plan for retaliation."  
  
"Retaliation?" Himura asked. Katsura nodded.  
  
"We don't usually strike back against attacks, but this recent one was premeditated and planned. We don't know if we have any more spies in our midst; whether it is a geisha or a samurai." Himura tensed at the mention of the samurai spy. Tomoe ran through his head, and the man who he had considered a comrade but who actually turned out to be a spy. Trusting others hadn't been easy since then, but Hideki had managed to break through his barriers.  
  
Sensing his sudden discomfort at the mention of spies, Hideki stole a sidelong glance at Himura, his hands were fisted on his lap, and his knuckles were white. Actually thankful for her womanly appearance, she reached out and took one of Himura's hands in her own.  
  
"It's alright, Himura-san." Hideki said softly. Himura looked at the girl seated next to him then down to his hand that was clasped in hers. Hideki was trying to calm him down; she sensed his discomfort and reached out to help. Katsura watched the pair, utterly shocked that the girl had become that close to the Battousai. If she could gain the trust of the Battousai, then she was defiantly the right woman for the job he had in mind. Granted, he needed her to agree to it, as well as her brother.  
  
Himura took a deep breath, calmed his nerves, and then looked up at Katsura. He gripped Hideki's hand in his own, refusing to let go. Katsura then thought that convincing Himura would be another obstacle.  
  
"My plan is a simple one. I want to plant a spy of our own in amongst the Shinsengumi, someone who wouldn't get a second glance and who we could trust enough to work with." Katsura said. Himura frowned; a nagging voice in the back of his head told him he wouldn't like the plan at all. Katsura watched the Hitokiri, and then glanced over at the girl. His face was cool and calculating, as it usually was. Hers was impassive, unreadable.  
  
"That sounds like a good plan, Katsura-san. Having someone on the inside of your enemy may very well help in winning this revolution." Hideki said quietly.  
  
Himura continued to watch Katsura, something still bothered him.  
  
'Someone who wouldn't get a second glance' echoed through his head.  
  
Katsura continued to look at Hideki as she spoke to him.  
  
'Second glance...' Himura's eyes widened. Katsura's plan was a good one, however...  
  
"Absolutely not." Himura said quietly, but firmly. Katsura and Hideki looked at him, Himura's grip on Hideki's hand tightened.  
  
Something had bothered Himura immensely. Hideki couldn't place her finger on it, but his sudden jump in ki and his increased grip on her hand raised some questions. Then it dawned on her. Someone who wouldn't get a second glance. Her eyes widened. The plan was a good one, and the idea for the spy was a better one. Use another woman! Of course! Use their tactics against them! Then Himura's words and increased pressure on her hand sent a jolt through her as her thoughts synced with the two men. Use another woman, one who they could trust with such a task. Katsura looked at Hideki again.  
  
Use her.  
  
"Himura, I hadn't thought of who it would be, but having met her, she would be perfect! She has your trust, and of course the trust of her brother, she could easily slip into an inn and work as a hired hand while a Shinsengumi squad resides there. She could wait on them, and listen to any crucial conversations, namely the private ones." Katsura explained. He never thought his idea would take form, but after seeing this girl, he knew it would work.  
  
He felt horrible about it though. The thought of placing this innocent girl into the clutches of the Shinsengumi terrified him. She was so young! He hated himself for asking her such a request; then again, he had hated himself for that last four years. He blamed himself for the current situations of Hideki and Himura, and it tore at him even more now that he met Hideki's sister. He had ripped the soul out of this girl's brother, and now he was making this astronomical request of her. He knew she would refuse. But he still had to ask.  
  
"Absolutely not. I won't allow Sakura-dono to place her life on the line and be a spy for us Imperialists. She isn't a member of the Ishinshishi! Her brother would have my head if I allowed this." Himura said fiercely. He meant to protect Sakura at all costs. He wasn't about to let her walk head long into a pack of Shinsengumi. Not after seeing the katana blade protruding from her back four nights ago. The brother comment was also ringing true in his head.  
  
"I'll do it." Hideki said softly.  
  
"No!" Himura exclaimed looking at her.  
  
"Himura-san, you can't stop me. I want to help. I hate being a burden to you and my brother. Let me earn my keep. I want peace to be restored to Japan, and if my being a spy can accelerate the conclusion of this war, then I want to be a spy." She said firmly. She then turned to Katsura. "I would be honoured to help you Katsura-san."  
  
"Hideki-san, I'm so sorry for making this request. And I'm truly sorry for what I have done to your brother. Please forgive me. I thank you for your agreement to my request. With your help we could very well end this war sooner than planned." Katsura said. It was the first thing that Himura actually liked hearing from the man since he arrived. An end to the war, the thought seemed like a pipedream, something that would never come true. But now he could actually feel it. The end was in fact near.  
  
Himura let out a soft sigh, knowing full well that arguing with Hideki was absolutely pointless. She was almost as stubborn as he was! He knew what she would and wouldn't back down from, and this opportunity was something she wouldn't walk away from. He gently squeezed her hand, relaying to her his reluctant agreement. She squeezed back, showing her silent thanks.  
  
"Alright Master Katsura, she'll help you. However, I want to be her contact and I want to be the one who decides when she's had enough." Himura said.  
  
"You want full control of this plan." Katsura stated simply.  
  
"As long as she's involved, yes, full control."  
  
"Alright, you got it." Katsura said. Katsura was a smart man; he knew that arguing with Battousai about something like this would be fatal. He would basically hand the devil his soul on a silver platter. "But what will Hideki say? I doubt very much he'll like hearing I've recruited his sister."  
  
"Just leave Hideki to me, Master Katsura." Himura said. Katsura nodded. He sensed his welcome was gone and that Himura had some strong words to say to Sakura. He rose to his feet, bid his farewell and saw himself out the door, knowing full well that if Sakura wanted to show him out, she wouldn't be able to. Not with the angry look in Battousai's eyes growing stronger with each passing moment.  
  
Himura sat in silence, his hands in fists on his lap. He had released Hideki's hand when Katsura had stood to leave. He was boiling with rage. That she had foolhardily plunged head first into the 'spy' plan had caused him unprecedented anger. Foolish girl!  
  
"I can't believe you agreed to his request Sakura."  
  
"I can't believe you're angry with me, Himura." She said, emphasizing the 'Himura' to let him know she wasn't sweet Sakura at that moment. "If the same opportunity presented itself to you, you would have done the same thing!"  
  
"You're still badly injured! You can't go off on another mission! You'll get hurt!"  
  
"Oh shut up Himura, you shouldn't be worried about me; you should be worried about THEM! I have a temper that rivals yours, and when I get angry, I show my anger with a sword. Or have you forgotten the simple fact that I'm a Hitokiri. I kill people. I've killed more people than you have I'm sure. My face right now may look sweet and innocent, but you can smell me! I reek of blood! I always have!" Hideki exclaimed, standing up and yelling down at the Battousai. She was the only human alive who had the nerve to yell at Battousai the manslayer. Her yelling caused him to lose his temper.  
  
"I haven't forgotten that you're a manslayer! I also haven't forgotten that you're the best swordsman I've ever met! I can't forget that you've taken lives just because you DO reek of blood, just like me! And don't you think that the Shinsengumi will know that too? If I can smell it off you, then they sure as hell can too. What if you end up in the same inn as squad one or squad three? We both know Okita and Saitou are the leaders of those squads and they're both very good samurai. They would be able to pick you out a mile away!" he shouted back, standing up to meet her eye to eye.  
  
"HA! Pick me out a mile away! I'll believe that when I see it! You couldn't tell, and I lived with you for 3 weeks!"  
  
"Well, smelling blood from a man and smelling blood from a woman are two different things! Make no wonder I didn't know! A man smelling of blood this period of war isn't an unusual thing! But have you ever met a woman who smelled of blood? I sure as hell haven't. Well, at least until I met you!" he retorted.  
  
"Kami-sama Himura! You're impossible! They won't know! I'll blend in! I'll be a maid and a cook at an inn with a group of women! They'll attribute the smell of blood to themselves before they acknowledge the fact that women even EXIST!"  
  
"HA! Blend in. I'm sure you'll blend in quite easily! Now tell me Sakura- dono, how the hell do you put on a kimono? Tie an obi? Style your hair? Kami-sama, you'll probably ask me to do it for you!"  
  
At that Hideki's anger disappeared and she burst into laughter. Himura wasn't long in joining her. The mental image of Battousai the manslayer tying an obi and styling a woman's hair was hilarious. Both manslayers continued laughing at the thought, glad to have the fight over with. Their laughter died down and Himura stared into Hideki's eyes.  
  
"I know I can't talk you out of this, but please promise me you'll be careful. I mean it, I don't want to lose you." He said softly. Hideki smiled at him.  
  
"Can I ask you a favour?"  
  
"Anything, nee-san, as long as it isn't help in tying an obi." He grinned. Hideki found herself horrified at what she was about to say. Stamping on the last shred of dignity she possessed, she opened her mouth to say the words she had never wanted to say in her whole life and yet, found herself in the position where she needed to say them.  
  
"I need a kimono."  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Himura went out to Kyoto to pick up a kimono for Hideki. He still wouldn't allow her to do anything strenuous, which included walking. She had to be recovered by the time she went and participated in this horrible plan. The thought of sending her do to this was still grating on his nerves, but all he could do was bite his tongue and protect her as best he could.  
  
They had agreed on nightly meetings. Once the final chores of the day were completed she would take a walk as part of a ritual to make her sleepy. Himura would wait for her and she would give any information she could. The meetings weren't just for piece of mind though, Himura wanted to see her at least once a day, just to make sure she was okay. The argument they had about the meetings was a doozie. But Hideki had relented, Himura was a stubborn man and VERY over protective. Arguing with him over something he had firmly believed in was like arguing with a wall, it wouldn't relent, unless you use some form of violence to pound it. But Hideki couldn't risk tearing her wound open. She instead of trying to pummel him to submission, she relented and agreed to nightly meetings.  
  
Himura was fixing something for them to eat as they waited for Katsura. Three days had passed since Hideki had agreed to the plan. In those three days Katsura had found an inn that was looking for woman to work and managed to get Hideki a job there. Himura and Hideki, meanwhile, worked together to make her as refined as possible. Himura remembered his six months of marriage to know what a woman did, and Hideki recalled all the girls who worked at the inn she had resided in during the revolution. By the end, they felt she was as ready as she was going to get. So Himura had begun to fix lunch, and Hideki had gone to her room to try and put the new kimono on.  
  
Himura chopped some more vegetables to put in the miso soup when he felt Hideki enter the room. "Lunch is almost ready." He said as he glanced over his shoulder. He froze, and then turned around fully to stare at Hideki. The knife he held in his hand clattered to the floor as he looked at the young woman before him.  
  
She was beautiful. Her hair was left down loose behind her back, the simple blue kimono and light blue obi brought out the colour of her eyes perfectly. There was a small decorative pattern on the kimono material, sakura blossoms. When Himura had picked the material, he thought it would serve her best since he had named her Sakura, but now looking at her, he regretted ever allowing her to do this. The kimono was too restrictive, Hideki would never be able to protect herself if or when the time called for it.  
  
"You are not doing this." He heard himself say as he bent over to pick up the knife. Hideki rolled her eyes.  
  
"You're not stopping me."  
  
"You care to place a bet on that? I'll tie you up and lock you in a cupboard if you think for one minute I'm going to let you leave this place looking like that." Himura said roughly as he turned back towards the forgotten vegetables. Hideki felt self conscious all of the sudden, a brand new emotion for her since she had always been a confident person. But now, dressed as a woman and hearing a man say she wasn't going anywhere looking the way she was, she felt self conscious for a minute. It rapidly turned into anger and she could feel another argument brewing. They seemed to argue a lot since Katsura had left three days ago.  
  
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean? What's wrong with how I look?" Hideki asked her voice on a steady rise as she baited him to continue the fight.  
  
"There's nothing wrong, you're just not going out like that!"  
  
"You can't stop me Himura, remember who you're talking to? The only person around who can fight Battousai to a draw. You're Battousai! I can beat you senseless, and I have on several occasions! If need be, I'll do it again!" Hideki yelled. Himura felt it was time to teach her how useless she was at that moment.  
  
Dropping the knife he turned around and employing his godlike speed, he crossed the room and grabbed Hideki's arms, pinning her to the wall. Hideki saw him move and tried to side step him, but found she couldn't get the necessary movement in her legs to avoid him. She found herself pinned by Battousai's strong hands on her upper arms and his angry amber eyes glaring at her. She didn't flinch, she didn't bat an eye. She wasn't afraid of Battousai, but what she was afraid of was the fact that she had seen him move, knew she could avoid him, but couldn't because of the kimono she wore.  
  
"How are you going to fight me when I have you pinned to a wall and your legs are confined by that goddamn kimono?" he asked quietly, menacingly. "How are you supposed to protect yourself, Sakura?"  
  
She knew what he was getting at. What if she was attacked while working at the inn? What if some Shinsengumi samurai decided to have a little taste of the pretty girls? How would she protect herself when she couldn't move? The answer was simple. She reached up and took hold of Himura's gi by his waist, exactly where his swords would be if he were wearing them. He felt her tug on his gi and looked down to where her hand was.  
  
"I'm a manslayer." She said softly. The action, coupled with the words finally penetrated Himura's stubbornness. Her point was simple. She was the only woman who would be able to walk into that inn and take care of herself. She was a manslayer first and foremost and that ability meant that she could easily take care of herself, even if she was confined in a kimono. She was the only person fit for this task. And only Himura knew how well she fit into the task. He was the only one who would know for sure that she would be alright. Himura closed his eyes and sighed. There was only one last concern of his before he totally relented and dropped all issues.  
  
"Hideki, you're a beautiful woman... and not all men are nice." Himura said. She knew his point. She wouldn't go unnoticed. Women never go unnoticed by men, especially men who are out looking for sex. Those types will do whatever it takes to get a woman they desire. That includes rape.  
  
"Look at me Kenshin." Hideki said, purposefully using his first name. Kenshin opened amethyst eyes and looked at the woman before him, still pinned to the wall by his hands. "What do you see before you?"  
  
"A beautiful woman." Kenshin repeated. Hideki leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Kenshin's.  
  
"And what do you smell?"  
  
"Blood." He replied. Hideki reached up and put her arms around Kenshin's neck, drawing him closer and hugging him. He immediately returned the hug as his arms slipped behind her back and he held her close.  
  
"I'll be fine. You know I can take care of myself. I'm not as weak as my present appearance suggests." She said quietly into his ear. Kenshin's only reply was to hug her tighter. It was enough of a response, he finally relented, and wouldn't say anything more about her going.  
  
Hideki's task was important.  
  
She could take care of herself.  
  
'Kami-sama, please don't let her get hurt. She's all I've got.' Kenshin prayed inwardly as he held her close.  
  
__________________________  
  
A.N. Okay, not much of a cliffhanger, but you know... whatever.  
  
Family is gone, final exams are over (YAY!) writing becomes so much easier.  
  
R&R! 


	8. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 7

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine.  
  
A.N. Okay, here's the thing. THIS CHAPTER IS RATED "R". There's a rape scene at the end so I caution my readers as they read this chapter.  
  
R&R.  
  
________________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Hideki had successfully entered into her position at the inn with no problems at all. She transformed completely into a different person when she entered her place of work. She became the perfect woman; soft, demure, quiet, and refined. Everyone who worked at the inn loved her, and the Shinsengumi squad trusted her.  
  
Himura was feeling better about her involvement. They met at the appointed time and place every night and she gave her daily report to him. He would then relay it to Katsura. It was redundant, him being the contact liaison between Katsura and Hideki, but he felt better seeing her everyday and knowing she was alright.  
  
During the time Hideki was working at the inn, Katsura employed Himura as his personal guard. Every day Himura would shadow Katsura and protect him, and in the evenings he was assigned to protect different imperialists. Sometimes he had to protect amateur manslayers from the Shinsengumi, and sometimes he would be the escort for other officials. Himura also did whatever jobs were assigned to Hideki even though they were few and far between. He told Katsura that he saw his fellow manslayer every night. Hideki was a protective older brother to his little sister so he felt the need to see her too. Katsura never questioned Hideki's whereabouts. He assumed that the Hitokiri was watching his sister's every movement, making sure she was safe from the Shinsengumi. Katsura was still totally unaware that Hideki the manslayer and the demure young woman, Sakura, was one in the same.  
  
Hideki made her way down the hall of the inn, carrying a tray of green tea and cakes for the Shinsengumi. She hated being the glorified waitress that she had become. She especially hated having to act so soft and quiet. She longed to put on her gi and hakama and train. She hadn't done that in weeks! Unfortunately, she was stuck in her current dead end position. The repetitiveness was grating on her nerves, the façade she wore daily was wearing thin, and she was stuck spying on squad 7, possibly the most boring squad of Shinsengumi samurai she's ever faced. They didn't do anything! They sat around laughing, drinking, eating and copping cheap feels on the women who worked at the inn. There have been several occasions where Hideki had to grip the fabric of her apron to prevent herself from cutting some man's wandering hand off. Her rear was sore from the amount of times it's been slapped and her patience was trickling away.  
  
All the women who worked at the inn were terrified of the squad. They hated the swords they constantly carried and the rare times they would return covered in blood, only to discover that they would be forced to clean the men's clothes. Hideki wasn't sure if she was more pissed with the women or the samurai. But if there was one person she would love to throttle it was the innkeeper.  
  
That man was the worst of the whole bunch. He was terrified of the Shinsengumi, actually he was terrified of everyone, except women. He felt that he owned the women who worked for him, so he could treat them whatever way he wanted. On several occasions he threatened to kill Hideki, and even hit her a few times. She mustered every ounce of self control not to hit back whenever he did. Her patience was also tested on a daily basis because of him. How she had managed to stay with the job for 3 weeks without killing someone was a mystery. Silently, she attributed it to the women. Hideki knew the women were terrified to move around the inn, so she took on most of the work herself. And it was usually herself who had the courage to serve the Shinsengumi, which was why she was bringing them tea.  
  
She knelt next to the door and knocked softly on the wood before sliding the door open. She worked quietly and with her eyes down as she distributed the tea and cakes to the men. The entire squad, consisting of 14 men, was in the room. Their conversation was about samurai's in the revolution that had made a name for themselves.  
  
"That Battousai, he's terrifying. I never knew someone so strong could exist."  
  
"Have you ever seen him?"  
  
"No, but if the rumours are even partially true he's got to be some kind of giant."  
  
The conversation on Himura was shared between two boys. They couldn't be any more that 14 or 15. Roughly the same age as Himura and Hideki were when they were chosen to be Imperialist manslayers.  
  
"Aho, no one who has ever laid eyes on the Battousai has lived to tell about it! That man is a monster! He took on 50 Shinsengumi, by himself and managed to kill them all in a matter of minutes!" another young man said. The leader of the group, no more than 22 or 23 listened to the exchange between the boys. He watched the girl as she handed out the tea. Unholy thoughts entered his mind about what he'd like to do to her.  
  
Hideki kept her eyes lowered, listening to the conversation about Himura. The boys in the room were terrified of him that was obvious. There were only 3 young men out of the 14 in the room. The rest were older, ranging from 18 to probably 22. Hideki placed tea in front of one man, the oldest and a sudden chill ran up her spine. She felt the slight change in his ki when she drew nearer to him, and knew he had been watching her. Hell, he had been watching her since she arrived at the inn. She was always attentive to where he was each and every minute of the day. She was about to back away and place a serving of cake in front of him when he reached down and grasped her wrist firmly. She stamped down her rage and kept her eyes lowered. None of the other Shinsengumi paid any attention to their leader. He did whatever he wanted.  
  
"You. what's your name?" he asked quietly  
  
"Sakura, sir." She replied quietly, the rage inside boiling almost out of control.  
  
"Sakura. A very pretty name for a very pretty girl."  
  
"Thank you." His hand felt slimy all of the sudden and Hideki wanted nothing more than to pull out of his grasp and run away. It was a horrible feeling, one she never felt before.  
  
"I've been watching you Sakura. I think you're a very good woman." He said softly, his grip never increasing or decreasing. "Innocent, and beautiful. A worthy woman for a man such as myself." Hideki couldn't take it. She wrenched her wrist free, displaying more strength than he had expected from her slight form. She turned, gathered the tray she had brought and left the room.  
  
"She's got a lot of fire in her, doesn't she Shiro?" said someone to Shiro's right.  
  
"Yes, she certainly does. I think she needs a man to put out that fire." Shiro said, still staring at the door where Sakura had exited.  
  
"I think she needs men to put out that fire." the man to Shiro's right said. All three glanced at each other and smiled, then turned their attention to the tea before them.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Himura stood in the middle of the forest, the usual spot where he and Hideki met. It was dusk and the little amount of sunlight that peaked through the canopy of leaves above him only managed to case slight shadows about. The muscle in his jaw flexed as he ground his teeth. He hated the wait. It was always the worst part of the meetings. With every second that ticked by, Himura saw images of her lying dead in a pool of blood back at the inn. He knew she could take care of herself if a man ever tried to kill her. But if they found out she was an imperialist spy, she wouldn't be able to handle 14 samurai while confined in a kimono and not armed with her katana. He gripped the small package he had in his sleeve tightly and allowed a smile to cross his face.  
  
'She's going to pound me when she sees this,' he thought.  
  
He saw her form moving through the woods. Her movements were a tad awkward because of the restrictive kimono and his jaw muscle relaxed upon seeing her. During the window of time between his first sighting of her, and when she was standing in front of him, he enjoyed watching and listening to her. She always cursed the kimono and sandals as she picked her way delicately thought the foliage, trying all in her power not to dirty her kimono. The last three weeks worth of meetings had always provided him some enjoyment. Each time she arrived to stand before him she said the exact same thing.  
  
"I hate this kimono, I hate these sandals, I want my gi, I want my hakama and I want my sword!" Hideki grumbled, and Kenshin chuckled at her. She glared at him. He flashed his carefree, innocent grin at her.  
  
"You're very predictable." He said simply.  
  
"And you're very annoying." She grumbled in reply. His grin broadened at that.  
  
"Anything new today?"  
  
"No. Same boring events, day in and day out. However I'd really like to sink my teeth into the leader. The slime has been watching me all this time and finally voiced his intentions." Hideki grumbled. Kenshin sobered at that, his amethyst eyes immediately turning amber.  
  
'If he touches her, he's dead.'  
  
"What sort of intentions?"  
  
"I don't know, he said I would be a 'worthy woman for him'. But don't worry, Himura. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. And I can certainly take care of that rat bastard if the time ever called for it." Kenshin relaxed at her words, he knew she was right anyways. She could defiantly take care of herself as long as she had a sword. He smiled at her again and pulled out the package, handing it to a bewildered Hideki. "What's this for?" she asked as she took it in her hands.  
  
"Open it."  
  
Hideki unfolded the cloth to reveal a hair piece. It was silver and about six inches long. It had a decorative end in the shape of a sakura blossom with a blue coloured tassel hanging from it. She smiled at the jewel in her hand. It was very pretty.  
  
"Himura, it's beautiful. Who's the lucky girl?"  
  
"You are."  
  
Hideki blinked.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"An anniversary present."  
  
"Anniversary? What anniversary?"  
  
"One month of you being a woman every day." He grinned and took two giant steps backwards. Hideki blinked and then scowled at the man backing away from her.  
  
"You are such a bastard! I should skin you alive for this! You know how much I hate this!" she raged. Kenshin burst into laughter as she tried to chase him; he easily dodged her and her frustration increased tenfold. He continued to run away from the angry girl before him until she stopped and buried her face in her hands.  
  
'She's crying!?' he thought and rushed to her side. Before he could utter one word, in a single fluid motion Hideki had unsheathed his short sword and was pointing it at his throat.  
  
"Now who's helpless?"  
  
"Point taken." Kenshin said, smiling. Hideki slid his short sword back into its saya and stepped away.  
  
"Thank you Kenshin. It's very sweet of you." Sakura said as she slipped the jewel into her hair. He smiled at her and then looked to the sky which had darkened considerably.  
  
"I have to go, and so do you. Be careful and I'll see you tomorrow." Kenshin said. Sakura nodded, bid farewell and made her way out of the forest. Kenshin turned and headed back to downtown Kyoto where he was assigned to act as a guard while a group of imperialists completed a job they were assigned to. He didn't know what the job was; all he knew was that there were 5 imperialists who needed to be protected that night. That was enough for him.  
  
Himura slipped unnoticed through the darkening city. He had to meet with Master Katsura and tell him about Sakura before he could take up his post. Stealthily, he crept through the alleys of Kyoto and followed the maze of back roads to Katsura's private residence. Only a hand full of people knew where Katsura lived, Himura had only recently found out when he took up the job of bodyguard to the imperialist. He easily jumped onto the outer wall and crept through the shadows to the tea room where Katsura was waiting for him.  
  
Himura entered the room quietly and slid the door shut.  
  
"How is she today?" Katsura asked as Himura sat down before him.  
  
"She's fine. She's getting restless since the squad hasn't done anything yet. There have also been some advances made by some of the men in the squad towards her. Nothing more than words though." Katsura nodded.  
  
"I want to go with you tomorrow." Katsura said. Himura looked up at Katsura, inside he was shocked, but outside he remained passive, and nodded. Katsura noted that Himura didn't ask for an explanation, but he was going to supply it to the Hitokiri anyways. "I have an important job for you and Hideki, and since the only time you see him is during those meetings I want to come along."  
  
Himura nodded again and swallowed. Katsura needed Hideki for a job. Hideki was currently... indisposed, and would not show up tomorrow as Katsura expected him to.  
  
"May I ask what this important job is?" Himura inquired.  
  
"Okubo Toshimichi."  
  
Himura's eyes widened. He had heard of Okubo, an Imperialist from Satsuma. He was the political liaison for the Imperialists during this time of war. He was, for all intents and purposes, the leader of the Imperialists. He never ventured to Kyoto just because of all the danger here.  
  
"Okubo Toshimichi?"  
  
"Aa. He is coming to Kyoto for some negotiations. He tried to change the location due to the danger here, but he couldn't. I need my best to protect him. That's you and Hideki." Katsura said. Himura nodded. He knew Hideki would jump at the chance to get out of the kimono she hated so much and go back to her old self. But the problem was that she would be missed at the inn. "Himura, shouldn't you be going? You are going to be needed tonight."  
  
Himura bowed respectfully to Katsura and left the room and the grounds the exact same way he came in, sneaking though the garden and jumping the wall.  
  
----------------------  
  
It was late at night, and very dark. Himura the Battousai crouched low in an alley, waiting for the Imperialists who he was supposed to protect to pass by. It didn't take long before he heard the tell tale sounds of a swordfight. The clash of blades wasn't an unfamiliar sound to him, or to anyone who lived in Kyoto for that matter. He felt like a shadow assassin, crouched in the alley, ready for his attack, waiting.  
  
Five men ran past him, they were the men he was supposed to protect. He stepped out of the alley and faced the squad of Shinsengumi samurai, his back to the retreating men.  
  
"You will go no further. Your opponent is me." He said flatly.  
  
"Battousai, it's been a while since I had the pleasure of crossing swords with you." One young man said. Himura locked eyes with Okita, leader of the first squad of Shinsengumi. The young man smiled and pulled his sword out, prepping for attack.  
  
Okita charged, Himura dodged the attack and brought his sword around to slash his opponent across the chest. Okita blocked. He was one of the few men who were skilled enough to take on Battousai and live to tell the story. Most of the time their fights would end because Okita would get a sudden coughing fit and then spit out blood. It took a few questions on Himura's part to discover that he had consumption. He was slowly dying from the inside out.  
  
Himura and Okita fought with stalwart intensity. Their swords clashed loudly as they attacked each other. Himura would attack, Okita would block. Both men were very strong manslayers, and they respected each others strength.  
  
"Where's your partner tonight Battousai? Did we kill him a month ago or not?" Okita asked, grinning as he blocked another attack and jumped away. Himura glared at him but didn't move. He was going to wait for Okita to attack first.  
  
"No, you didn't. He's still very much alive." Himura said. "What was that death toll afterwards? How many of your men were killed by us that night? 30? 40?"  
  
Okita scowled and lunged at Himura in an attack. Himura stopped the blade with his katana and used his short sword to easily slice the white bandana that Okita wore across his brow off. Himura jumped away, holding the bandana in his hand. He had stalled the squad long enough now. Those men had gotten away, his job was done.  
  
"Until next time, Okita-san." Himura said and dropped the bandana. He quickly faded into the shadows and escaped. As he ran he heard Okita coughing violently and knew the attacks were getting worse. Silently he wondered how long the man had left to live, and deep within his soul he felt a pang of guilt for fighting against him. Human emotions weren't lost on Battousai. He had respect for Okita. The man was very strong. Any samurai holds his worthy opponent in high regard, even if he hated the man with his entire being. Himura didn't have that same amount of distain for Okita as he did for another Shinsengumi squad leader. Saitou Hajime, leader of the 3rd division. That man was impressively strong, and he knew it.  
  
Himura continued to run silently though the street of Kyoto, and returned to his post outside Katsura's home before midnight.  
  
----------------------------  
  
"Did you hear? Okubo's coming to Kyoto tonight!"  
  
"Really? Leader of the Imperialists? Coming to this hell hole?"  
  
"Yes. And Shiro-sama is planning an attack on his carriage tonight, just outside the city limits! Imagine if that man dies, then this whole revolution will be over!"  
  
"Shiro-sama wants everyone to be ready in 1 hour."  
  
Hideki had paused at the door where some of Shinsengumi squad members were in. She was filling in the duty of bringing tea to them because one of the other women was too frightened to. She had angrily snatched the tea tray out of the terrified girl's hand and stalked off to find the room they were in. She would be late meeting Himura because of that girl.  
  
As she listened at the door she was thankful to the girl for being so scared. She was hearing a plan to assassinate Okubo Toshimichi, exactly what Katsura wanted her to find out. She rapped gently on the door and opened it. The three youngest members of squad 7 were in the room, they stopped conversing about the upcoming assassination when the girl entered. She silently distributed the tea and cake then silently left the room. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of getting out of the inn and getting to Himura to notice anything.  
  
She felt the presence behind her and before she could react, Shiro grabbed her wrist and forced her into a room. "Well my pretty little thing, I believe you've been eaves dropping." He sneered.  
  
===========  
  
Himura was impatient. He and Katsura were to meet Hideki very soon. Dusk was rapidly approaching. But because of the old man before him, they were going to be late.  
  
Himura and Katsura were presently at a doctor's clinic. The older man had sent a notice to Katsura requesting his presence, and Katsura complied easily. The doctor was the Imperialists doctor. If Himura had allowed it, Katsura would have called upon the old man to look at Hideki's wound. He was trusted by all Imperialists.  
  
"Sorry to call you here Katsura-san, but there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." The doctor said, gesturing for Katsura and his bodyguard to sit down.  
  
"Not a problem Tomino-sensai, what is it you wanted to see me about?"  
  
===========  
  
Another pair of hands grabbed Hideki as soon as the door to the room was closed. These hands forced her against a wall and quickly tied her hands together completely immobilizing her hands before she had a chance to protect herself. Shiro stood grinning at the helpless girl as she struggled against them. They pulled her away from the wall and forced her to the floor. Another pair of hands stilled her kicking feet. Shiro stood up and looked down at Hideki as she lay pinned by her ankles and wrists. She turned menacing blue eyes up at him.  
  
"I think we need to teach this little girl a lesson." He said.  
  
===========  
  
"Katsura-san, I wanted to notify you about some of your enemies." Tomino said as he seated himself opposite Katsura. Himura leaned against the wall in the corner, away from the direct conversation, but not out of ear shot. He rested his sword against his shoulder and bowed his head, staring at the floor.  
  
"My enemies? What about them?"  
  
"Well, I understand that the Shinsengumi have been placing female spies in your midst. It occurred to me that you may try and use the same tactics against them." Tomino stated simply. His words caused Himura to listen intently and Katsura had an uneasy feeling wash over him.  
  
===========  
  
Shiro unsheathed a short sword and cleanly sliced Hideki's obi off. Hideki's eyes widened and actual fear took root in her person as she watched him throw the sword to the side and start to strip off his hakama.  
  
'They're going to rape me!'  
  
Even a seasoned samurai such as herself wasn't invincible. She had her own weaknesses. She was a woman, and women never had as much strength in them as men. If she had use of her hands, and if any of the three men had their swords at their waists, she would have easily gotten free. Unfortunately, she didn't have use of her hands, and each man had removed their weapons, discarding them at the corner of the room.  
  
And since there were three of them, the situation was not in her favour. No matter how hard she could try, she wouldn't be able to escape them.  
  
She opened her mouth to scream, but the man holding her shoulders quickly shut her up by stuffing her mouth with fabric from who knows where. She started struggling even more.  
  
'NO! I won't allow this!' her mind screamed.  
  
===========  
  
"The thought did occur to me, Tomino-sensai" Katsura said. His voice remained calm, but his heart was beating rapidly.  
  
"I thought as much. You always were one to use tactics of your enemies against them. You have always been a very smart man, Katsura-san. I'm very glad you're working towards peace." The old doctor said, smiling. Katsura returned his smile. Himura clenched his hand in a fist and bit his tongue to keep from yelling at the man to tell them what he knew.  
  
His thoughts were on Hideki and he was praying she was safe.  
  
===========  
  
The man at her head grinned down at the incapacitated woman. She struggled more and let out muffled screams as Shiro ripped open her kimono revealing her body to him.  
  
"Holy shit, what's with the scars and cuts?" the man holding her feet asked as Shiro lowered himself onto the girl, forcing his leg between her thighs.  
  
Shiro only passively looked at the girl. Her entire upper body was covered with scars, small faint white lines. They looked almost like they were sword scars. There was one wound that was still healing, but it looked as if it had been bad, in her lower chest.  
  
"Who cares?" he grunted as he pried her legs apart. Tears formed into her eyes and slid down her face as she continued to struggle against the weight of the man on top of her. It was useless, she knew it. There was no way she would be able to get free. It didn't matter if she was an Imperialist manslayer. Their combined strength overpowered her and her lack of sword made her weak.  
  
'Kenshin... help me....'  
  
===========  
  
"What news do you have, Tomino-sensai?" Katsura asked, not bothering to hide the edge in his voice.  
  
"Yes, my news. If you do plan to put a girl in as a spy, I recommend that you keep her away from one of the squads. I've dealt with several of the girls who worked at inns where this particular squad had stayed." Tomino said sadly, shaking his head at some memory. "Poor young things lost all their spirit when those men raped them."  
  
Himura froze, feeling fear slowly creep up his spine.  
  
'Men? As in more than one?' his head screamed. Even he knew Hideki wasn't prepared to take on several men at once without a sword.  
  
"What squad?" Katsura heard himself ask, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Squad seven."  
  
Himura felt like a sumo ozeki had grabbed his heart and squeezed. He felt short of breath and only one thought entered his mind. Sakura. He had to get to that inn! He and Katsura were on their feet at the same time and running out of the room.  
  
They had sent Sakura into the pits of hell.  
  
===========  
  
Hideki's scream of pain was muffled by the cloth in her mouth when Shiro entered her forcefully.  
  
"Ohh, a virgin were we?" Shiro rasped in her ear. "What a pleasant surprise, it's been a while since I tasted a virgin."  
  
She went totally still as he raped her, bruising her hips where he gripped her while her ankles, and wrists were already sporting nasty purplish bruises from where she had been held down.  
  
She escaped into her mind, leaving all sense of touch behind her. She blocked out her whole world as natural defences took control. She could vaguely feel the man on top of her entering and withdrawing, and the pain that went with it but she paid no attention.  
  
Each man took their turn abusing her.  
  
In her mind, she could feel a familiar sensation start to take over. She saw herself standing at the edge of a precipice. In front of her was a sea blood, behind her, her humanity. She felt herself being drawn towards the blood. A whisper in her mind was telling her to smell it, touch it, taste it, and spill it.  
  
The demon of bloodlust that she had been warring with for most of her life finally got his firm hold on her soul as she shut herself down to block out the rape.  
  
The humanity within her slipped away, and Hideki felt herself tumble into oblivion.  
  
The desire to see blood coursed through her, engulfing her entire being.  
  
____________________________  
  
A.N. End of chapter 7. It was kinda hard to write this chapter for very obvious reasons. Not exactly a pleasant read, but it was all part of the story. What happens when a samurai, who can use a sword well enough to fight Battousai to a draw, losses their mind?  
  
The battle between Kenshin and Okita had no real bearing on the story, it's just that Kenshin had to do SOMETHING while Hideki was off being a spy and hell; his job was to protect other imperialists so I figured why not. I really like Okita too, so I just wanted to put him in the story somewhere. For any of you Saitou fans, I'm not planning to put him in this story anywhere, but I am thinking about writing a sequel and including everyone's favourite cop in it.  
  
Anyways, reviews always welcome. 


	9. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Kenshin and all it's characters don't belong to me, I merely borrowed them for my tale.  
  
A.N. Well, here's the next chapter of my story, I hope you guys are still enjoying it. It's really dark and angst-y but that's what it was supposed to be like.  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
____________________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 8  
  
The desire to see blood coursed through her, engulfing her entire being.  
  
"Who would have ever thought a pretty young thing such as yourself was a virgin." Shiro said maliciously in her ear as he assaulted her again. She had gone totally still, her head turned to the side and silent tears slid down her face.  
  
'Every woman with spirit and fire could be so easily contained through this method, and it wasn't such a bad way to tame her either', Shiro thought.  
  
Hideki's eyes were glazed over as they continued to ravish her. One of the other two men decided he wanted another go. Shiro agreed as he pulled his cloths back on. He had a mission to do, one that would put him in the history books. He left his two samurai in the room to finish their business with the girl. Feeling better than he had in a while, he gathered the remaining members of his squad and set out into the darkening evening to find Okubo.  
  
They would only need 12 members. No one knew their plan. No one knew that Okubo was coming. And if by some chance someone did show up, Shiro silently hoped it would be Battousai. Then he himself could kill the legendary manslayer.  
  
Shiro felt invincible as he set out with his squad into the darkening evening.  
  
The closing of the shoji door brought Hideki back to her senses. Her attack had stopped for a moment. But she knew it was only a matter of time. She blinked. Blood pumped in her head, as the demon within her took control. She saw a hastily discarded short sword in front of her face, within arms reach, the very same one used to slice her obi off. She felt a man's weight on top of her again. Rage fuelled her movements, as she used her right hand to dislocate her left wrist in one swift movement, freeing herself from the bindings.  
  
With her hands free, she grabbed the man by his member with one hand, grabbed the short sword in the other and exacted revenge on him by swinging the sword down between their bodies.  
  
He opened his mouth to scream but was cut short when the sword was driven directly through his throat. Hideki relished in the feel of the sword slicing skin and bone as she twisted the blade. Blood sprayed on her face and exposed chest, but she didn't care. Pushing against the sword with all her strength, the man flew off her and hit the floor, dead. She stood up, ignoring the pain her abused body screamed as she moved, and faced the other samurai who had raped her.  
  
He stood frozen in fear when her eyes turned to his.  
  
She was horrifying.  
  
Her face and chest covered in blood, her kimono still gaping open, her hips were bruised, and her thighs had blood on them. But her face was the most frightening. Her features were twisted as she smiled a smile only the devil could possess and her eyes had changed from their blue, to a menacing red.  
  
She looks like the devil incarnated.  
  
She was going to kill him, and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
He unsheathed his sword to try and protect himself. Her smile grew more frightening as she walked towards him. He thrust his sword forward, but she dodged it easily and he watched in horror as something flashed from her head. He had enough time to register that it was her silver hair piece with a decorative sakura blossom at its end before she drove it up through his chin, killing him instantly. She took the sword from his hands as he fell to the floor. Picking up the other katana and wakazashi that remained, she surveyed her damage.  
  
"Two down, so many more left to kill." She said smiling down at the two bodies. She picked up the rope that had been used to tie her hands and wrapped it around her waist to keep the kimono shut, and left the room in search for more blood.  
  
Shiro's blood.  
  
----------------------  
  
Katsura and Himura ran through the streets of Kyoto hell bent on getting to that inn and getting Hideki out. Katsura wasn't as fast a runner as Himura was, but he did have samurai blood, and with the adrenaline pumping though him right now, he was running faster. He felt a horrible cold wash over him when he heard the old doctor say squad seven. He was out the door in a heartbeat, following Himura. He had put that girl in danger and Kami-sama only knows what's happened since yesterday. She had mentioned to Himura there had been advances. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the advances had turned badly today.  
  
Himura never bothered to check and see if Katsura was keeping up. If push came to shove, Katsura could defend himself. The only thought going through Himura's mind was Hideki. He kept reminding himself that she could take care of herself, but he was still worried, and a nagging sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that as strong as Hideki was, she hadn't been able to protect herself that day.  
  
If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself and he was pretty sure that he would hunt down every member of Shinsengumi squad seven and kill them with his bare hands.  
  
The inn was on the outskirts of Kyoto. It was a stand alone building located on a major highway that lead into the city. The inn had no neighbours. It was the perfect place for weary travellers to rest.  
  
Himura's feet ate up the earth as he continued his break neck pace to the inn, cursing its distance from the main city.  
  
Katsura was close behind him cursing for the same reason.  
  
They reached the inn, and the outside looked as friendly and as inviting as it should. Himura slowed his pace as he got closer to the main entrance. Something wasn't right, and as he approached he knew what. The smell of blood was in the air. He didn't hesitate as he threw the door open. The owner of the inn was sitting on the floor, his back to the wall and his head bent forward. If it wasn't for the sword that was driven through his heart and the pool of blood surrounding his body, one would have thought he was asleep. Himura's eyes widened at the site just as Katsura entered the house.  
  
"Kami-sama, what the hell happened?" Katsura whispered. Himura didn't care what happened he wanted to know one thing and one thing only.  
  
"SAKURA!" he bellowed and charged into the inn.  
  
The anger he felt was unlike anything he had felt before. His amber eyes had turned feral with rage as he ran up the stairs to the second floor. He reached the landing and froze. Down the long stretch of hallway there was a trail of massacre. There were three women, all dead, swimming in pools of their own blood. Each had been killed in a different manner. Himura ran to each of them checking to see if any of them was Hideki. The first woman had her throat sliced open and a short sword was sticking out of her chest, she wasn't Hideki. The second one had a huge gash running from shoulder to hip, she wasn't Hideki. The third had been stabbed through the heart, she wasn't Hideki. He reached the third woman just as Katsura climbed the stairs, after checking downstairs for any signs of Sakura. Aside from the dead innkeeper, the lower level was empty.  
  
"Kuso," Katsura swore under his breath, looking at the three bodies. "What caused this?"  
  
"Not what, who?" Himura said flatly as he stood up. "None of them are Sakura." Katsura nodded and opened the door that was next to him, to start searching the rooms. The first two were empty, the third was not. He opened the door and froze.  
  
There were two Shinsengumi samurai... dead. One wore a short gi and nothing else, and Katsura could see that he had been mutilated in his nether regions. He had a short sword stuck through his throat. The other was resting against the far wall; his head lowered and chin resting on his chest. He would have looked like he was sleeping, just like the innkeeper, if it wasn't for the blood that soaked his chest.  
  
Katsura walked over to the man and pushed his head back. Sticking out of his chin was a small silver object. Katsura inspected the body, and the object as Himura stood in the doorway surveying the scene. There were a few drops of blood in the centre of the room, probably from the male member that lay not too far from it. He winced at the thought of the pain the man felt just before he died, then froze listening intently. He heard the sound again. It sounded like a small whimper.  
  
Following the sound, he left the room hell bent on finding the source for the noise. He heard it again, louder. Then he sensed the person. Whoever it was, they were cowering in a closet. He threw open the door leading to the storage closet only to meet a young girl, no more than 16, with tears streaming down her cheeks, curled into a ball in the corner of the closet. She screamed when the door was thrown open and covered her head with her arms.  
  
Katsura heard the scream just as he pulled the silver object from the man's head. He clutched it tightly in his hand before running out of the room to find Himura and, he prayed, Sakura. He found Himura standing outside a closet door, looking down at whoever was in it. Katsura came to Battousai's side and looked down at the young girl.  
  
"Where is Sakura?" Himura asked. His voice and his eyes only terrified her even more as she tried to get further into the closet. "Where is she?!" he yelled. She whimpered again, whispering incomprehensible words. Katsura took a deep breath and knelt down before her, his eyes turning gentle and he willed his voice to be soothing as he started talking to the terrified girl.  
  
"Please, jou-chan. If you can tell us where Sakura is, I'll personally guarantee your safety. No one will ever hurt you." Katsura said softly. The girl stopped her babbling and blinked up at the man before her. His soft eyes and gentle voice soothed her slightly. Trying to ignore the frightening man who still stood glaring down at her with yellow eyes she repeated the only word she heard before hiding in the closet.  
  
"Okubo." She whispered. Katsura's eyes widened. Himura's heart stopped.  
  
Shinsengumi Squad seven was gone, leaving a trail of massacre behind them, to kill Okubo Tochimichi. The only possible explanation for Hideki's absence was that she had gone, unarmed, to stop them.  
  
Forgetting about the bloody mess the inn was in, no longer caring who had committed the murders, Himura turned on his heel and ran from the house. He just needed to see her. He would feel so much better just to see her alive. Katsura told the girl to get to Tomino-sensai's clinic as fast as she could, then left to follow Himura.  
  
---------------------------  
  
Hideki ran at top speed through the increasing darkness. She had ditched her sandals and was running barefoot. The kimono she wore was covered in the blood of the people she had just enjoyed killing. The rope about her waist kept the kimono closed, but as she ran through the forest the material billowed behind her and her legs were exposed up to her bruised thighs but she didn't care. There was only one thought coursing through her head. Kill. She wanted nothing more than to kill. But before she could enjoy killing randomly, she had one person who she had to rid the world of.  
  
Shiro.  
  
As darkness settled over her, she caught up to the Shinsengumi squad as it surrounded the carriage of Okubo. The politician was standing outside his carriage and directly in front, facing him, was Shiro. Rage flooded Hideki's senses as she ran towards the group. The Imperialist bodyguards had all been slain and Okubo was the last one remaining. Shiro raised his sword above his head just as Hideki ran up behind the group. Before he could bring the sword down to kill Okubo, Hideki used one of the samurai at the back of the group as a spring and planted herself in front of Okubo and she faced him.  
  
Shiro's eyes widened upon seeing the girl he had raped not one hour before hand standing before him, protecting Okubo. Her blue eyes were gone, replaced with horrible red. She was covered in blood, her kimono was held on by the rope that had been used to tie her hands together, and she had a frightening snarl on her face. If she had been wearing a gi and hakama and carrying a sword, Shiro probably would have though she was a man. But she wasn't. She was a weak woman he had raped before, and realized he would have to again because her fire wasn't put out, and she was unarmed. He would enjoy himself when he took her again. Her voice put a stop to his thoughts.  
  
"You're men were quite easy to kill. And I plan to enjoy taking your life Shiro." She snarled. Her tone was deep, almost masculine. And if she wasn't wearing the kimono that just barely covered her battered body, he would have been scared. But looking at her appearance, he found himself laughing.  
  
"You expect me to believe you killed two of my men? That's absurd. Now step aside little girl, I have a job to finish. After Okubo's dead, I'll have my fun with you again."  
  
Hideki didn't move.  
  
"Move or I'll kill you." Shiro growled. Hideki cocked a grin. Her red eyes flashed as she watched the man before her.  
  
"Just try." She said. Shiro growled with rage and lunged at the girl. She sidestepped easily and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held his sword. Pivoting on her foot, she used her elbow and her full body weight thrown behind it to break Shiro's arm. He screamed in pain and dropped his sword. She retrieved it from the ground and immediately plunged it through his gut. He coughed blood and stared down at the girl before him. She smiled and pulled his sword out slowly. He staggered back a few steps and watched her.  
  
Hideki raised the blood soaked sword to her lips and flecked her tongue over it, tasting Shiro's blood and then with a quick flick of her wrist she cleaned the sword of blood. Shiro's eyes widened at the gesture.  
  
Only a highly skilled sword master could clean the blade of a katana with the flick of a wrist.  
  
"Who are you?" he whispered, still clutching his bleeding abdomen. She smiled a smile of pure evil.  
  
"I'm your greatest fear."  
  
The last image Shiro saw was his blade swinging towards him.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Himura tore through the forest towards the road where Okubo was supposed to be travelling on to get to Kyoto. He had opted for a lesser known, and rarely travelled stretch of road to gain access to Kyoto unnoticed. Squad seven had somehow found out about his arrival and decided to take matters into their own hands. Himura assumed Hideki had gone to stop them.  
  
Himura heard swords clashing not too far ahead. He increased his pace and broke through the forest and found himself on the road, just behind the samurais which surrounded Okubo and Hideki.  
  
Hideki was already battling one of the Shinsengumi. One lay dead at her feet. She was wielding someone's sword as she fought. Himura forgot all that he had seen at the inn as relief washed over him upon seeing her alive. He didn't stop to think has he plunged head first into the battle.  
  
Himura drew his sword, the sound caused a few Shinsengumi to turn their heads, and he easily cut one Shinsengumi's head off before the man could draw his sword. He thrust his sword through the heart of another then withdrawing his blade and with one quick movement he re-sheathed his katana and prepared to administer his battoujutsu on a charging samurai. A flash of light and the man was sliced from hip the shoulder, blood sprayed everywhere. He turned to see that Hideki had managed to fight them all off, she was looking down at the body of her latest kill, her back to Himura.  
  
"Hideki! Thank God you're alive! We thought you were dead!" Himura said as he re-sheathed his sword and started towards her. Hideki turned to face him and he stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
She was covered in blood, she wore a satisfied smile on her face and her eyes were red. She wasn't the same Hideki he had come to know. Himura then felt it in her ki and knew immediately what had changed.  
  
Bloodlust. She was thirsty for blood.  
  
She smiled at Himura, and he had to will himself not to step back from her.  
  
"Battousai. I've always wondered what it would be like to taste your blood. I guess now I get to find out, ne?" she said. Her tone wasn't like her usual self. It didn't sound like Hideki the woman, and it didn't sound like Hideki the manslayer. It was worse; deeper, and more menacing. It sounded like the devil himself was speaking to Himura through Hideki. She flicked her blade, cleaning it of blood and face Himura. His hand went immediately to his sword.  
  
She was going to kill him.  
  
Himura had no desire for life. He didn't care if he died or not. The revolution had stripped him of any need to live. But he did know that he had a job to do. He had to protect Okubo. And Himura knew if Hideki killed him, then Okubo would be next. Himura couldn't allow that to happen. He crouched in his battoujutsu stance. He knew it was kill of be killed. Hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, Battousai no longer cared who it was before him, he had to protect Okubo.  
  
Hideki saw the familiar stance and smiled. She knew full well that she couldn't dodge Battousai's battoujutsu, but she knew she could block it. Reaching down, she picked up a saya from one the bodies at her feet; she sheathed her sword in it and crouched in a battoujutsu position. Battousai's eyes narrowed at the slight girl before him just as they both charged each other, blades unsheathed and crashed into each other.  
  
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Katsura broke through the trees just beyond the carriage that Okubo had been in. He turned and ran towards the sounds of swords clashing only to find two people locked in a bitter battle. Himura and Sakura had blades crossed and saya's locked together. Okubo stood frozen at the fight before him. He had never encountered such a battle, there was blood everywhere and the two young people who had rescued him from the Shinsengumi were now fighting each other to the death.  
  
"Toshimichi!" Okubo turned to the voice and saw Katsura Kogoro run up to him; he was somewhat relieved to see his comrade.  
  
"Kogoro! What the hell is going on?"  
  
Katsura looked at the two figures, unsure what to think. He knew Battousai was ruthless... the perfect killer, but watching him fight the girl using his full strength called into question the manslayers sanity.  
  
Their swords met, Battousai brought his saya around to complete the battoujutsu only to have it connect with Hideki's. She knew his movements, and he knew hers. Their fight would be a draw if he didn't employ brute strength. He pushed harder against his sword, knowing she wouldn't be able to match the force, she couldn't and just as predictable she crouched down, he would have been caught off balance if he didn't know she would do it. He didn't hesitate as he brought his sword down, slicing her on the shoulder, drawing blood and a grunt from his opponent.  
  
"What's happened to that girl?" Okubo murmured to himself. Katsura watched the two people fighting to take the others life. He looked down at the bloody silver object he still held in his hands.  
  
"Something terrible." Katsura said.  
  
Hideki felt the steel of Battousai's blade make a gash in her shoulder, pain shot through her body as she twisted away from him. She rolled to her feet, one hand covering the shoulder where he had wounded her and turned her angry red eyes on his. She was breathing heavily, and he knew he was going to win this fight. She charged him again, he raised his sword to deliver the final blow but she dodged it, just barely. Part of her kimono was cleanly cut off and fell to the ground as she thrust her blade through Battousai's shoulder. He grunted and fell back a few steps. She withdrew her blade with a satisfied smile and increased the distance between them.  
  
Hideki raised her blade to her lips again, and tasted the blood on it. Her face was twisted in a horrible smile, and her red eyes glinted as she enjoyed the taste and feel of killing. "Had I known how sweet your blood was, Battousai, I would have killed you long ago." She said. Himura gripped his sword tighter. He was knelling on the ground, hand to his shoulder, and he ground his teeth in frustration.  
  
She flicked her blade again and charged. She raised her katana over her head, planning to bring it down and slice Battousai in two.  
  
Battousai gripped his sword with both hands, and just as she was bringing her sword down he brought his up. The force of the impact ripped the blade from her hands. Himura used the opening. He released his katana allowing it to follow hers through the air. The swords flew across the road and landed some distance away. Himura didn't hesitate as he grabbed Hideki's shoulders and twisted, flipping her over his crouched form and pinning her to the ground by her shoulders. In a lightening fast motion, he unsheathed his short sword and prepared to deliver the final blow.  
  
Hideki felt the hands on her shoulders, the ground against her back, and the weight of a man on top of her. She blinked; fear coursed through her whole body and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. All three men on the scene froze at the sound of the woman's scream.  
  
It was a scream of absolute terror.  
  
It was a scream that none of the men on the scene would ever forget.  
  
Himura looked down at Hideki beneath him. The red eyes were gone; the evil look altogether was gone. In its place was absolute terror. Her blue eyes were wide, and tears were streaming down her face and she was breathing deeply, her heart pounded in her chest.  
  
"Please, please don't." she whispered, clamping her eyes shut, closing her vision off to the impending rape. She didn't know who was on her, all she knew was the weight pressed on top of her, and her totally submissive position.  
  
Kenshin blinked. Anger fled his mind as he looked at the girl below him. Something wasn't right. Once again, his short sword slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. The tears in her eyes, and the absolute horror stricken face caused him to immediately leap off the girl, and back away. Hideki curled into a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest as she whimpered and rocked back and forth.  
  
"Sakura, what happened?" Kenshin whispered.  
  
Katsura looked back down at the silver stick in his hand. It was coated in blood, but he could make out the decorative end. It was a woman's hair piece with a sakura blossom on the end. Katsura looked at the girl lying in the road before them, and then back to the hair piece. Everything registered in his mind.  
  
The blood on the floor of the room where two men had been found murdered... the mutilated man wearing only a short gi....  
  
"She's been raped." Katsura said. Okubo looked down at the girl, a sudden compassion falling upon him. No wonder she had gone insane. Katsura felt winded. He had been the cause of her suffering. It was his fault that she had been placed at that inn. It was his fault that she had been raped.  
  
Kenshin felt an onslaught of emotions as he looked at the frightened girl before him. He was angry at himself, at Katsura, at the Shinsengumi, and the whole damn revolution. Rage caused his blood to boil and he roared within his head. Mustering all self control, Kenshin stamped down the burning rage within him as well as the urge to turn and kill the two men who were responsible for the revolution, and for Hideki's suffering.  
  
He started towards the girl, only now noticing her injuries. Her thighs were bruised and bloody, the only sign of her lost innocence. Her shoulders were red and purple from where she was injured from his sword and from being held down. Her wrists were chafed and swollen, probably because they had been tied. Her left wrist was black and blue. Kenshin figured she had dislocated her wrist to get free of the bindings.  
  
Hideki watched the man approach her. Nothing registered in her mind as to who it was, where she was, or what was going on around her. All she knew was that she was in the company of three men and one of them was stalking towards her. She let out a slight shriek and backed away from the approaching man, only to find her back pressed against a tree. She was trapped.  
  
Kenshin continued towards her slowly and cautiously. He slowly took off his kimono as he drew closer. Hideki buried her face in her knees as terror caused her whole body to shake. She was going to get raped again, she was sure of it. The red headed man was taking his clothes off, what else could she think?  
  
She was startled when she felt a small amount of extra weight placed over her, covering her bare skin. She clutched the kimono closer and looked up into compassionate amethyst eyes. In the back of her mind a voice told her she could trust the man crouching before her. She felt tears welling in her eyes as he put a reassuring hand on her uninjured shoulder.  
  
"Sakura, no one here is going to hurt you." Kenshin said softly. He hated the look in her eyes. Absolute fear. He did all in his power to reassure her that he wasn't going to hurt her. He watched in dismay as more tears slid down her cheeks. He reached a tentative hand out and brushed one tear away. Her lower lip trembled at his soft touch, more tears spilled onto her cheeks.  
  
"Kenshin..." she whispered. It was her first indication that she had become aware of her surroundings. She couldn't stop the onslaught of tears as they fell down her face. Needing some semblance of comfort, she practically threw herself into Kenshin's arms.  
  
Kenshin quickly responded and held the weeping girl close. He could feel her tears as they wet his gi and the exposed skin of his chest as she kept sobbing. Overcome with grief at her pain, Kenshin's arms tightened around her and felt tears sting his own eyes.  
  
"Himura, get her out of here." Katsura said gently, looking down at the Hitokiri before him. Katsura had never seen Himura with such a strange look on his face. Grief, anger, compassion, and hatred were all swimming in his amethyst eyes. Those eyes... Katsura hadn't seen since Himura was 14... and yet the girl in his arms brought them forth.  
  
Kenshin merely nodded at Katsura's order, he easily scooped the girl up in his arms and began to walk back towards Kyoto.  
  
"Take her to Tomino-sensai." Katsura said to the retreating form of Himura. He then walked over and picked up Battousai's katana and short sword. He re-sheathed the blades, hooked them into his own belt, and motioned Okubo to follow him. They left the scene as it was. The carriage stopped, the uniformed bodyguards of Okubo all dead, and the members of the Shinsengumi slaughtered.  
  
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A.N. Well, there's the end of that chapter. We all know that Kenshin is the best; therefore I couldn't have Hideki get the better of him. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations; I wrote it and re-wrote it over and over until I had some satisfaction with it. There's still more! No need to worry.  
  
I am thinking of a sequel to this but the writing will have to be put on hold. I'm leaving the country next week, for 3 months, so I won't be able to write anything since I won't have a computer.  
  
Before you panic, I plan to finish this story before I go, so don't worry!  
  
Reviews are always welcome! 


	10. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 9

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine. Although I wish it was.  
  
A.N. Chapter 9 up and running. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this story. Seeing as though it's my first fan fiction I'm very flattered that you all continue to read it and think it's good. You guys rule! (  
  
Please read and enjoy!  
  
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Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Kenshin made his way down the dark lonely road in silence. He ignored the nagging sensation in his heart that demanded he release all the pent up anguish in some way, either by shouting and raging, or just simply crying.  
  
Last time he felt that way was when he held his dead wife in his arms three years before hand.  
  
This time, it was a different woman in his arms. And the feeling he had in his heart for her was different than the feelings he held for Tomoe, but that didn't change the fact that he had, once again, failed to protect the one most dear to him.  
  
It was a cruel existence. He was taught the Hiten Mitsurugi Style so he could PROTECT! But each time he tried, he failed. He was unworthy of life, of his sword skill, of anything. He was just unworthy.  
  
Sakura clutched the kimono close to her shoulders as she took refuge in Kenshin's arms. A voice in the back of hear head was demanding that she stop acting so childish and walk under her own power, but the stronger presence of fear and shame caused her to hang her head and remain in his careful embrace.  
  
Silent tears fell down her cheeks again.  
  
Kenshin felt the tell-tale wetness on his chest again. He looked down to see Sakura's face but was only met with the top of her head.  
  
"Sakura, look at me." Kenshin said softly. The girl merely shook her head in disagreement and pressed her face closer to his chest. Kenshin sighed and focused his attentions back to getting into the city and to the doctor's clinic.  
  
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Katsura and Okubo made their way back to Kyoto using a different route than Himura and Sakura. Katsura was experiencing sharp pains in his heart with every step he walked... with every breath he took.  
  
His fault.  
  
Guilt was something he knew he would forever live with. He was the head of an army of samurai locked in a deadly war. He had hand chosen several elite samurai and made them into his manslayers. He had stripped mere CHILDREN of their humanity.  
  
He had destroyed Himura Kenshin and Hideki.  
  
He had ruined Hideki Sakura.  
  
His fault. Everything was his fault.  
  
"Stop blaming yourself, Kogoro." Okubo said softly beside his friend. Katsura snapped out of his musings and glanced over at the politician. "You couldn't foresee what would happen to that girl."  
  
"As logical as your words are Toshimichi, I still blame myself. I put her there."  
  
"But..."  
  
"No, it was my fault Sakura was raped." Katsura said firmly. Okubo knew that arguing was pointless. Katsura blamed himself for the deaths of every Imperialist. He carried his guilt around with him everywhere. It was his personal hell.  
  
"Who is she?" Okubo asked. He had seen the fierce Battousai reduced to a man on the verge of tears just by looking at the poor girl. She must have been important to have that effect on Himura.  
  
"She was Hideki Sakura, the sister of one of my manslayers and bodyguards. I asked her to become a spy to help me, but the plan backfired. I should never have sent a virtuous girl like her into that job."  
  
"Why did you?"  
  
"She had Battousai's trust."  
  
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Katsura brought Okubo to his home. It was the perfect place to hide the politician since no one knew his place of residence, then proceeded to the doctor's clinic. He wanted to check on Kenshin and Sakura, and bring the manslayer back his swords.  
  
It was completely obvious to Katsura that Kenshin was deeply affected by Sakura's attack. After all, a manslayer is never without a sword, and Kenshin just left his weapons lying on the ground. If Katsura hadn't picked them up, they would surely have remained at the attack site.  
  
That site needed to be cleaned up. The bodies had to be disposed of and it would have to be covered up that a woman had been responsible for the murders. If the Shinsengumi found out one of their own squads had been annihilated by a single woman then all women working at Inn's hosting the Shinsengumi would be in danger.  
  
He also wanted to keep the number of people who knew that evening's occurrences to a minimum. Therefore employing another Imperialist to do the job would be impossible. He would have to do it himself, which was a very rare occurrence. Katsura never dealt with the aftershocks of war, namely disposing of the bodies of those murdered. Hell, he never murdered so this job would be a new challenge for him.  
  
He would need help, and asking Okubo would be out of the question. Himura would have to help. But would two men be enough to get the job done? And how would they go about destroying evidence?  
  
Then a thought struck him. Where was Hideki? Didn't Himura say his partner never left his sister's side? Didn't he see his sister in danger? Why hadn't he helped her? Where had he disappeared those last three weeks? Katsura was positive that he hadn't seen the young manslayer once since Sakura had started working at the inn, where had he been?  
  
Those questions, and more, were floating in Katsura's head as he entered the clinic in search of the doctor. He headed for the main room where patients usually waited for their turn when a scream pierced his ears. It was a very frantic and panicked scream.  
  
Katsura ran to the main room only to have a young girl run into him, full bodied. She was screaming hysterically and incoherently and when she ran into Katsura she rebounded against him and fell to the floor.  
  
"Demon! It's the demon! Save me! It will kill me!" she screamed. She clamoured to her knees and gripped the edges of Katsura's hakama turning frightened, tear filled eyes up to him. Katsura stared down at the girl in shock, then turned his gaze to the opposite side of the room.  
  
There stood a blood-covered Battousai, and in his arms was the battered and shivering form of Sakura. Her face was buried in the folds of Himura's gi and the manslayer's yellow eyes were glaring at Katsura and the girl.  
  
"Please save me! It will kill me!" the girl screamed again, rising to her feet and pointing at Himura and Sakura. Katsura immediately recognized the girl as the one he and Himura had found at the Inn. She was sobbing once more and hiding behind Katsura, obviously terrified of Himura's menacing amber eyes.  
  
Or was she....?  
  
Tomino-sensai entered the room and gestured for Himura to follow him. The manslayer gave Katsura one last glare before departing the room, following the doctor.  
  
"No! Tomino-sensai! That's the demon! It'll kill you!" the girl screamed. Katsura turned to the girl once they were alone in the room. He needed to reassure her that Himura wasn't a demon, and that Tomino would be alright.  
  
"Please listen to me jou-chan. Tomino-sensai is alright. Himura would not hurt him. He doesn't even have his swords, see? I have them. Tomino- sensai will be fine." Katsura said softly, gently gripping the girl's shoulders and forcing her to look up at him. She shook her head vigorously and clutched at his gi.  
  
"No! Not him! HER! She's a demon!" she shrieked. Katsura couldn't believe his ears. She WAS talking about Sakura. The girl must have witnessed the entire ordeal at the inn.  
  
"What happened?" Katsura demanded, shaking the girl. If she knew exactly what happened at the inn, then she could be trouble.  
  
"She killed them! All of them! Those two samurai, the innkeeper, and even the women!"  
  
Katsura's blood ran cold. The girl before him had witnessed the murders, and because of that trauma, she was rendered mentally unbalanced. She continued to shriek uncontrollably and repeated the words she had just spoken to Katsura over and over. She was a liability. If word got out about Sakura's madness and murders, then it would prove to be fatal.  
  
The girl had to be silenced.  
  
It was a rule of the Choshu faction of manslayers. Leave no witnesses. Katsura would have to employ his shadow assassin, Shishio Makoto, to silence the girl once and for all. Another murder, another lost soul, another pang of guilt and remorse at her impending death. Katsura sighed and released the girl. She sank to her knees and continued to sob into her hands.  
  
A young man, Tomino-sensai's apprentice, entered the room and gently escorted the girl out, whispering softly in her ear in order to calm her down. Katsura watched her retreating form, wishing none of that evening's event had happened. Because of it, another innocent life would be lost.  
  
Himura re-entered the room in time to see the young girl he had found at the inn escorted into the back where she would no doubt be given something to calm her down and allow her to rest. He watched the girl and the apprentice proceed down the hall and turn into one of the clinic's many rooms, and then turned back to face Katsura.  
  
Choshu's leader eyed his manslayer. Himura's amethyst eyes were still gone, and the amber of the manslayer shone fiercely. Katsura removed the swords from his side and held them out to their owner.  
  
"How is she?" Katsura asked quietly. Himura's eyes narrowed in anger. He felt that Katsura had no right to know how the girl was doing. It was his fault Sakura was in the clinic in the first place. The urge to draw his sword and spill his leader's blood across the tatami mats was overwhelming as Himura reached out to take his swords back. Instead of grasping the hilt like his mind was screaming him to do; he took hold of the saya's and slowly hooked them back into his belt.  
  
"Tomino-sensai is checking her now." Himura replied. Katsura nodded. He saw the anger in Battousai's eyes. He knew not to push it with the manslayer. But there was still the matter of the clean up.  
  
"I need your help. Yours and Hideki's." Katsura said. Himura shook his head.  
  
"You won't be getting Hideki's help. Not now, maybe not ever. What do you need me for?" he asked. Katsura lowered his eyes to the floor. Another wave of guilt washed over him at Himura's words. He wouldn't blame Hideki for being angry, but he truly did not want to lose the man's abilities. Hideki was his second best manslayer. He let out a silent sigh, wishing once again that the evening had never happened.  
  
"There's a mess to be cleaned up, and I want to keep the number of witnesses to just the four of us." Katsura said. Himura knew what he meant immediately. Even though there had been 5 witnesses, himself, Katsura, Okubo, Sakura and the girl from the inn, Katsura had every intention of having the extra witness silenced.  
  
The girl would die.  
  
Himura nodded.  
  
"Alright, I'll help. What do you plan to do?" he asked as the two left the clinic and started back towards the scene where the murders had taken place.  
  
"Destroy the evidence. All of it." Katsura replied. He knew the practices for manslayers were to leave their dead so the bodies may be found. But this time, the bodies had to be destroyed. The entire incident would have to be covered up and he wasn't sure how he would go about it.  
  
"How do you plan to do that?" Himura asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
The two men moved through the city in silence and under cover of darkness. They had no desire to be followed, or seen for that matter. Himura's skills as an assassin came in handy as he lead Katsura through the city towards the outskirts. They ducked a squad of Shinsengumi, some imperialists, and some manslayers before reaching the dark lonely road.  
  
Katsura had no idea how difficult it was for men fighting in the war until he himself had to walk in the shoes of a shadow assassin. Most evenings, he spent his time safely tucked away in his home, where no one bothered him because no one knew he lived there. He had a new found respect for his manslayers and his soldiers that fought for the ideal he had professed to them. He had more respect for the shadow assassins like Himura who put their lives on the line every night, just by simply walking the streets of Kyoto.  
  
Katsura continued to follow Himura through the darkness, lost in his own thoughts. Himura continued to walk, with only one thing on his mind. Sakura's scream. Her horror filled face. Her injuries.  
  
Never in his life had he been so angry. The anger he felt when his wife had been 'kidnapped' was nothing in comparison. She was a spy. She had been sent to find out his weakness. She never knew that she would end up being his weakness. She never knew she would fall in love with the man she was supposed to hate. He had been angry when she was taken, yes. But he knew that even though she had been taken, he would be able to get her back. Of course, that was before he found out the truth behind his wife.  
  
But Sakura... She had been raped, beaten, and almost killed. Not because of him, it was just because she was a woman. He knew that what had been taken from her would never be retrievable. She would have to live with her loss for the rest of her life. He had failed to protect that which is most important to a woman. Innocence.  
  
As many lives as Sakura had taken, she had always retained her innocence. It was her innocence that caused her to hold back her bloodlust, her rage. She may have stained her hands in blood a countless number of times, but she had always kept the demon from surfacing within her. When she lost her last bit of innocence, bloodlust took over. There was nothing to stop her, nothing left to hold her back. Her body had been stained, ruined. Her hands soaked in the blood of men. Her soul was lost.  
  
She became a demon.  
  
Himura failed to protect her. He clenched his fists at his side as he continued through the night.  
  
When they had passed the squad of Shinsengumi, the sight of their blue and white kimono's caused Himura's blood to boil. He longed to ditch Katsura, leaving him to his own devices, and plunge head first into the centre of the squad where he would hack away at the samurai until they were all dead as his feet.  
  
He didn't. He kept his rage in check. They had a job to do, and he wanted to get it done and over with so he could get back to the clinic and back to Sakura's side.  
  
The smell of blood filled his senses as they drew nearer their destination. The light of the moon shone down upon the scene as the came upon it. There were bodies strewn everywhere. Blood coated the ground, changing it to a sickening black. Pieces of human remains littered the ground. Hands, arms, heads. Katsura felt his stomach heave slightly at the disgusting sight. The first time he came upon the scene, he was too engrossed in the fight between Sakura and Battousai to notice anything else. But now there was only one thing to focus on and that was the bloody massacre that was present before his eyes.  
  
"What do you want to do, Master Katsura?" Himura asked as the stopped beside the carriage, both men staring at the sight before them.  
  
Katsura's mind was a complete blank. He couldn't think of anything except that the brutal murders had been committed by a woman. He could remember Sakura's demonic eyes, her voice, her movements. She certainly looked as though she had been possessed by a demon. No wonder the girl from the inn had called her that.  
  
"Master Katsura?" Himura asked, snapping Katsura out of his thoughts. He blinked, took a deep breath, and faced Himura.  
  
"I don't know." he answered honestly. For the first time during the war, his sharp, keen mind was totally blank. He didn't know what to do. He could barely remember that in order to stay living, he would have to breathe. He was consciously breathing, in and out.  
  
Himura knew what was wrong with the man at his side. Katsura was entering a state of shock. It was the after affects of seeing such brutality like in the scene before them. He watched the leader of his faction breathing deeply, but being completely disgusted by the smell caused him to choke every time he drew in a breath. It was only a matter of time before Katsura turned grey and threw up.  
  
Katsura was no stranger to the sights of bloodshed and war. But knowing that the scene in front of him had been caused by a ravished woman was sickening. What was worse, was that he had been the cause. It was his fault that Sakura had been raped. It was his fault that she had turned into a demon hunting for blood. It was his fault....  
  
Himura watched Katsura throw up with a sense of approval. He was still angry. Katsura being violently ill wasn't good enough punishment in his opinion. He felt that Katsura should pay for what happened to Hideki, but he continually denied himself the joy of threatening, or even taking, the life of Katsura Kogoro. If he did then the war would end, all that he and Hideki had fought and killed for would be lost.  
  
It was the first time he ever thought of killing someone just for the joy of it. For revenge.  
  
"I can't believe she did this." Katsura whispered hoarsely. Himura's eyes narrowed, not liking Katsura's choice of words one bit.  
  
"Well, she did." he replied evenly.  
  
"So much blood.... how could she have done this?" Katsura whispered again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Himura's rage tripled at those words. Unconsciously his hand went to his katana at his side and his thumb unhooked it from its sheath.  
  
"She didn't." Himura said through clenched teeth.  
  
"She did! Look around you! You saw it! She killed them all in cold blood! She became a monster! A demon!" Katsura exclaimed. The shock was wearing off and he wanted nothing more than to deny that he had any part of the massacre in front of him. Himura snapped. All restraint he had carefully put into place broke. He unsheathed his sword in one swift motion and rested the sharp blade against Katsura's throat. One simple flick of the wrist and Katsura Kogoro would be dead. The man responsible for all the torment that has gone on in every Imperialists life since the beginning of the revolution would be dead in one simple movement.  
  
"You did this! It's your fault that Sakura was raped! It's you're fault she did this! You! This whole damn revolution was a mistake! She should never have been placed in that inn! You should have never asked her to do that! It's you're fault!" Himura yelled. Katsura remained motionless. The feeling of cold steal pressed to his neck snapped him out of his hysterics and forced him back to reality. Himura was right. He had caused it all.  
  
It was the first time he ever stood at the receiving end of Battousai's angry glare and bloody blade. It was absolutely terrifying.  
  
No wonder he was the strongest.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." Himura seethed, flicking the blade slightly, pressing it further into Katsura's neck but not breaking the skin.  
  
Katsura remained silent. He had no reason.  
  
Someone clutched Himura's gi at the shoulder. A hand pressed against the blade, lowering it away from Katsura's neck and a shadowed form stood between the manslayer and his leader. Himura found himself looking into the menacing blue eyes of Hideki, the manslayer.  
  
Hideki had her black gi and grey hakama on. Her ever present bandages were carefully wrapped around her upper body and she had her katana and short sword hooked into the ties at her waist.  
  
"Because no more blood should be spilled tonight." she said. She stood with her back to Katsura, facing Himura. There was blood on her bandages.  
  
"Hideki...." Himura said lowly, looking at the girl before him. Once again, in her gi and hakama, with the bandages and the swords, she looked like a young man.  
  
"No more." she repeated. She turned and faced Katsura. "The witness is dead. I silenced her."  
  
Katsura wasn't sure if he should be relieved or frightened that Hideki had shown up. The fact that he had carried out an order that had yet to be given showed that the manslayer was still thinking like a manslayer. It caused another wave of guilt to pass over Katsura. The fact that Hideki's sister had been brutally raped didn't seem to phase the manslayer. He had truly destroyed the Hideki family.  
  
"How is your sister?" Katsura asked. He wanted to see just how dead Hideki's soul really was. By asking about his sister, Katsura hoped to see some sort of emotion from the manslayer. A flicker or remorse passed over Hideki's eyes. Himura saw it too.  
  
"Hideki Sakura will physically recover. I will send her away." Hideki replied and turned her back to the two men.  
  
"Away? Away where?" Himura asked. He knew the answer though. Once again, Hideki was portraying herself as a man, denying the fact that she is actually a woman.  
  
"To a place where she can't be hurt again." Hideki replied quietly. There was a moment of silence between the three, and then Hideki took in a deep breath.  
  
The deep breath gave Katsura a surge of hope. Hideki was upset about his sister's predicament. He was human after all! Of course, the fact that it had happened was still a sore spot for all that were present. Opting to drop it completely, Katsura looked at the scene again.  
  
"What should we do, Master Katsura?" Hideki asked.  
  
"I don't know." Katsura repeated. He was still unsure of what to do.  
  
"May I make a suggestion?" Hideki asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Bring all the bodies to the inn, and burn it to the ground. No one will know what happened. It will look like an accident." she said. It was a good idea. That way if questions were to ever arise, it could be simply thought of as an accident.  
  
"Good idea. Let's get started." Katsura said.  
  
One hour later, Katsura, Himura and Hideki stood outside the inn and watched it erupt into a blazing inferno. As the building collapsed into itself, Himura and Hideki turned to leave. Katsura followed the manslayers.  
  
"Hideki?" Katsura said as they walked away from the burning building.  
  
"Yes Master Katsura?"  
  
"I'm sorry about what happened to Sakura."  
  
"So am I."  
  
The building where three men had forcefully taken a woman and drove her to insanity was destroyed that night, leaving nothing but a pile of ash and bone.  
  
There were four witnesses to the incident that lead to the demise of Shinsengumi squad seven. They were the only ones who would know the truth. The rest of Japan would hear about a freak accident where an entire squad of samurai were killed in a fire.  
  
TBC...  
  
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A.N. I originally hadn't planned on writing this chapter. But I felt it was necessary to show that Kenshin could indeed lose his temper completely and threaten a man he respected like Katsura. I know this chapter isn't that great but it was the best I could do.  
  
In any case, I hope you guys liked it!  
  
I added the TBC (which is highly unusual cuz I don't usually) but I found the ending of this seemed a bit final and there's still a bit more to tell. Mostly about Kenshin and Sakura's relationship and what happens to it after that incident. Still more in store! 


	11. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 10

Disclaimer: RK and all those related to it aren't mine. I merely borrowed them for my story.  
  
A.N. Well, the conclusion of this story begins with this chapter. I hope you like it!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
______________________________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 10  
  
A week had passed since the attack on Okubo. Hideki had returned to her former self, the manslayer. She had burned the kimono and returned to the bandages, gi, hakama, and swords. For all intents and purposes, 'Sakura' was dead.  
  
Himura watched Hideki spar from across the yard. It was all she had done since she got up the morning after her attack. She didn't talk about it, she didn't even mention it. The fact that she ignored the attack grated on Himura's nerves. The fact that she wouldn't talk about it bothered him even more. But the fact that she was once again denying her gender pushed him over the edge. Standing up, he grabbed his sword and walked over to where she was practicing.  
  
"Hideki, I challenge you." Himura said flatly. It was his last resort; his last chance to get her to talk. She paused in her training and looked at him.  
  
"Challenge accepted." She said and turned to face him. Himura crouched in the battoujutsu position. He knew what he was going to do: one single blow, with all his strength behind it. If his plan worked, she would be explaining exactly what happened in a matter of moments.  
  
Hideki recognized the stance. Himura's battoujutsu. She had been at the receiving end of that a week ago. She pushed the thought from her head, as she had been doing ever since that night, and assumed the same position. She wouldn't let him pull that stunt again.  
  
In the blink of an eye, Himura charged his friend and pulled out his sword. At the same time, she mirrored his actions. The blades crashed together, and both manslayers finished the arc of the battoujutsu. Himura righted himself and re-sheathed his sword. Hideki stared down at her katana.  
  
The blade had been snapped in half.  
  
"You broke my sword." She said simply. She was absolutely astounded. Her sword was a Shakku original, a sword forged especially for her by Arai Shakku. And Himura had just snapped it in half!  
  
"I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it was the only way to win."  
  
"Why would you want to win this badly?" she asked, still utterly amazed that her Shakku original had been destroyed.  
  
"Because I wanted you to owe me something."  
  
"What the hell do I owe you?! You just snapped my sword in half!" she yelled. She glared up at Himura and threw her piece of scrap metal to the ground in disgust.  
  
"You owe me an explanation, Sakura!" Himura yelled. Hideki flinched at that name. The memories that flooded her mind were almost more than she could bear. "Tell me what happened." His voice was softer. Hideki's legs went weak under her. She sank slowly to the ground and gripped the hilt of her broken sword. Tears that she hadn't allowed to flow for the last week suddenly appeared in her eyes and slowly leaked down her face. Himura crouched next to her, not touching her, just staring at her grief stricken face.  
  
"I was bringing tea to some of the men. They were talking about their leader, Shiro's, plan to attack Okubo. I don't know how he knew that Okubo was coming, but he did. I felt that I had to get out and tell you. When I turned to leave, someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a room." She said softly, staring down at the ground. She bent her head low, her bangs falling into her face and her hair, which was tied back in a high ponytail, fell over her shoulder. Her tears continued to flow and fell to the dirt below. Himura still stared, not touching her. Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her.  
  
"It was Shiro and two other men from the squad. They said it was time I learned a lesson. One of them tied my hands together and then all three forced me to the floor. I couldn't move. They had me pinned by my ankles and hands. I was totally defenceless. And I was scared. It was the first time I felt real fear." She whispered. Her free hand clenched into a fist, disturbing the dirt below her hand. "You were right. It was stupid of me to go in there. I was asking for it."  
  
Himura's hands fisted in his hakama and he bit his tongue. He wanted to straighten her out, to comfort her, to be a brother figure for her. He also wanted to shake her and tell her she was wrong. That what had happened wasn't her fault. But he didn't. He wanted her to finish her story.  
  
"They raped me. All three of them. Shiro twice. Kami-sama it hurt so much." She choked on her words. Himura remembered the blood on the floor and her thighs. It had been her innocence. He grew increasingly angry with every heartbeat, with ever word, with every tear. "I couldn't stop them. It hurt so much."  
  
Himura relented and pulled the weeping girl into his arms. She broke down completely and he stomped down his anger at the three men who caused her the pain she was in. They were already dead. He wouldn't have to hunt them down and kill them. Although at that moment he really wished they were alive so he could. At that thought, Himura snapped out of his bloody trance. Everything made sense. Why Hideki had broken down and killed all those people. Including the women.  
  
She had lost control, just like Himura felt himself moments before. She escaped into her mind to avoid the feeling of the rape and the demon within her took over. Its thirst for blood was what drove her to kill those men, the women and the innkeeper. It was revenge that caused her to seek out the shinsengumi squad, not the urge to protect Okubo. She had wanted to kill the man that had reduced her to such a weakling. And she had succeeded.  
  
"Shh, it's all over Hideki. No one else will hurt you. I swear." Kenshin crooned into her ear softly. He purposefully used the name 'Hideki' just so she wouldn't flinch as she had been doing whenever she heard the name 'Sakura'.  
  
"Kami-sama, it was the first time I ever pleaded for help. I was screaming in my head. They had gagged me, but the people of the inn wouldn't have come anyways even if they had heard me. I prayed that you would show up. I cried your name, Kenshin, praying that you would come stop them." She whispered. "But you didn't come, and that's alright. I deserved it. I was asking for it."  
  
The fact that she was blaming herself for what those bastards did and the fact that she had cried out for him, and that he hadn't been able to protect her was the manslayer's undoing. It had been three years since he cried. But holding the defeated form of Hideki broke down that barrier and he felt tears leak out from his eyes. His fault. It was his fault that she had been raped. He didn't stop her from participating in Katsura's plan. He wasn't there to protect her from men like Shiro. He should have been there!  
  
"Listen to me Hideki." Kenshin said as he grabbed the sides of her face and forced her to look into his eyes. "What happened wasn't your fault! And you can't ever think that again! You didn't deserve what they did to you. No woman does!" he exclaimed.  
  
She looked up at him in amazement. He was crying. For her. He hugged her close again, crushing her to him. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Hideki. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Kami-sama! What good is Hiten Mitsurugi if I can't protect those who mean the most to me!"  
  
Hideki pulled away, reached up and cupped his scarred cheek. Kenshin opened his eyes and looked at her. "You don't need to apologise. And you've always protected me. You stopped me from killing more people that night. Thank you for that." She said softly. Kenshin smiled down at her.  
  
In the end, he knew that she would be okay. She was made of something stronger than he could ever be. But he would forever feel a tinge of guilt and pain at the suffering she endured. Hideki smiled up at him. "You owe me a new sword, Himura." She picked up the hilt and flashed it in front of his face. He took the sword from her.  
  
"Maybe you should take this as a hint that it's time you left the Imperialists?" he chuckled, waving the broken sword in her face as they stood up. In one swift motion, she grabbed his sword and pulled it from its saya.  
  
"Maybe you should take it as a hint to give me your sword and leave the Imperialists yourself?" she said simply. Kenshin smiled at her.  
  
"I still have things to do here. I'll know when it's time for me to leave. And when I do, I'll put down my sword and never kill again." He said.  
  
Hideki could only smile in reply. She could never put down her sword. Her hands were too stained. She would live by the sword, and die by the sword.  
  
Himura should do the same.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Hideki walked towards the small house on the outskirts of Kyoto. Her footfalls were silent as she made her way around the back. From behind the walls, she could hear the tell tale sounds of a sword being forged.  
  
"Sumimasen!" she called. The noises stopped and seconds later the door swung open. Arai Shakku stood before her. He glared down at the manslayer before him.  
  
"You haven't changed one bit in four years Hideki." He grumbled, turning and walking back into his workshop, leaving the door open so Hideki could enter.  
  
"Thank you, I think." She said as she walked in. She had been right; he had been forging a new sword. He picked up the sword and sheathed it in a wooden saya before she could see it.  
  
"You shouldn't. You still look like a kid, and yet you're a murderer." He grumbled, placing his latest creation on the table in front of him.  
  
Hideki winced. Conversations with Shakku were always the same. He was a brilliant sword maker. Samurai from all over Japan wanted one of his swords. But he hated making them. He hated all the killing. He hated the war. But he also hated the former regime. And he knew the war was necessary for the birth of a new era.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Hideki rolled her eyes at the Shakku's back. "I want a new sword."  
  
"What? What the hell is wrong with that one?" he exclaimed, turning and pointing at the sword at Hideki's side. She grabbed the hilt and unsheathed it.  
  
Shakku stared in amazement at the perfect sword he had made where half its blade was missing.  
  
"How the hell did that happen?!"  
  
"Battousai."  
  
"I thought you two were comrades!" He exclaimed grabbing the sword from Hideki's hands.  
  
"He wanted to teach me a lesson." Hideki said simply. Shakku brought the sword to the work table, gently put his newest creation off to the side and placed the broken masterpiece down.  
  
"Did it have to be at the expense of a perfectly good sword?" he sighed and ran a finger along the dull side of the sword and over the cut mark.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I suppose this is a good thing. One less killer sword made by me out there." Shakku said.  
  
"I need a new one." Hideki repeated. Shakku turned and smiled over his shoulder at the manslayer behind him.  
  
"This sword is my last creation." He said, gesturing to the sword with a wooden hilt and sheathed in a wooden saya. "It is a holy sword; it will never be used to shed blood."  
  
Hideki glanced at the holy sword. She knew the ritual for forging a holy sword. It was tradition for the sword maker to forge two identical swords. One, the holy sword, would be the principle forge of the sword. Strongest of the two. The other would still be a good sword. His other words finally penetrated Hideki's thoughts.  
  
"Last creation? What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm not making any more killer swords. I'm through." Shakku said.  
  
"But you're swords are the best Shakku-san! You can't just stop making them! We need your swords if we're to win!" Hideki protested. Shakku started to laugh.  
  
"Boy, you may have taken hundreds of lives with your hands. But I've taken thousands of lives with my swords. I won't soil my hands any more. I've done all I can to build the new era. I stopped my killing. And you should stop yours." He said, turning to face the stunned Hitokiri. Hideki stared at the man before her.  
  
'And I should stop mine.'  
  
"Shakku-san. I plan to stop my killing once I feel my time here is over. But right now, there is still a war to be fought. And I don't plan to stop killing until I feel peace is close at hand. And I never plan to put my sword down. I've taken many lives in my life. I live by the sword, and I'll die by the sword." Hideki said firmly.  
  
Shakku stared at the boy before him. 'He's smarter than I thought', Shakku mused.  
  
"I don't think you have a choice when it comes to putting down your sword. You don't have one anymore." Shakku said pointing to the empty saya at Hideki's hip.  
  
"And once again, that's why I'm here. I want a new sword."  
  
"And once again, I've stopped making swords." Shakku said in exasperation. Gods that boy was stubborn!  
  
"What about the second forge of your holy sword? I know the process and rituals of forging Holy Swords Shakku-san. I know you have another sword made." Hideki said, pointing to the wood encased sword on the table. Shakku glanced over at the sword, a slow smile spread across his face.  
  
"You're absolutely right. I do have another sword." He said and left the room to retrieve it. He returned moments later with a sword sheathed in a saya and held out to Hideki. "I think you'll find this to your liking."  
  
Hideki grasped the hilt and pulled the sword slowly from its sheath. Her eyes widened as the sword slid from its saya, revealing its long polished blade.  
  
"What the hell?" Hideki gasped. Shakku smiled.  
  
"That's a reverse blade sword. A sakabatou." Shakku laughed "I'd like to see you try and kill someone with that."  
  
Hideki looked at the full length of the blade. The curved side was sharp, the longer side was dull. Reverse bladed. Why would Arai Shakku, master of forging killer swords, make a reverse blade sword as his final sword?  
  
'Atonement.' A voice echoed in the back of her mind.  
  
"It's heavy." Hideki murmured to herself.  
  
"It's a sword that's never meant to kill. You've taken many lives with your hands. It will always be heavy to someone such as you." Shakku said. His smile had vanished and he was staring at the manslayer before him holding the sword.  
  
"I don't think I could handle this sword." Hideki said uneasily. Shakku held out the saya and Hideki re-sheathed it quickly, glad to have the heavy object out of her hands.  
  
"It's a piece of scrap. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, who would use a reverse blade sword?" Shakku said as he took the sword and placed it on the table next to the principle forge.  
  
Hideki gazed at the swords on the table. The uneasy feeling never left her. She knew that she would never be able to put down her sword, but she would be able to stop killing people. Having a reverse blade sword would be very useful. Especially if using a sword to protect was a manslayers way for atonement.  
  
Looking at the two reverse blade swords caused a chill to run through her. She resisted the urge to rub her arms.  
  
Someone once told Hideki that a true sword master knows when a sword was never meant to be theirs. They can feel it just from holding the sword. Hideki had held many swords in her life. All instruments of death. None of them ever gave her the creepy feeling that sakabatou had.  
  
No, she would never handle the reverse blade sword.  
  
A voice entered her mind as she stared at the swords.  
  
"I'll put down my sword and never kill again."  
  
Himura's voice.  
  
The words reverberated through Hideki's whole being as she stared at the two reverse bladed swords.  
  
Hitokiri Battousai should never put down his sword.  
  
Not after all the lives he's taken.  
  
The reverse blade sword was meant for him.  
  
"I know exactly who would use a reverse blade sword." Hideki said.  
  
-----------------------------  
  
Hideki entered the training grounds quietly. It was near dusk. She had been gone all day. Kenshin would be worried.  
  
She laughed. Kenshin shouldn't worry, but that was part of his sweetness. He always worried.  
  
Shakku had found an older sword of his, it was worn slightly, but it was still a good sword. He gave it to Hideki to replace her broken katana.  
  
She reflected on her day spent in the company of Shakku and his son. The boy didn't particularly like his father. Nor did he like Hideki for that matter. The boy was smart. He knew what his father did for a living and hated him for it. He also knew in seconds that Hideki was a manslayer. His feelings for the samurai were immediately portrayed when he threw rocks at her and ran away.  
  
Not that she could blame the boy. No child liked her.  
  
Children were smarter than any adult could even conceive. The only reason Hideki knew was because at heart she longed to be a child. She understood them better than most adults. Children could always tell the good from the bad and right from wrong. Shakku's son was no different. He knew that Hideki was bad. And whatever she did to make her bad, was wrong.  
  
Hideki sighed as she entered the house. She liked kids. But her soul was tainted, jaded and black. No child wanted to be near her.  
  
"Tadaima." Hideki said as she entered the kitchen to find Kenshin busy preparing a simple evening meal.  
  
"Okaeri, Hideki. Did you get a new sword, de gozaru ka?" Kenshin asked, not turning from the vegetables before him.  
  
Hideki found herself lost in thought staring at the back of Kenshin's red head. Only when he wasn't locked in a heated battle did he add the 'de gozaru' to the end of his sentences. Hideki doubted he even noticed the change in tone and words.  
  
"I'll put down my sword and never kill again." Kenshin's voice in her head again.  
  
No, he won't put down his sword. He shouldn't. And after a long conversation with Shakku, he wouldn't.  
  
"Hai. Shakku-san had an extra that I could use. It's a good sword. It will serve me well. Just don't break this one, alright?" Hideki grinned. Kenshin smiled at her over his shoulder and continued to chop vegetables.  
  
"Yes ma'am." He chuckled.  
  
'He's happy living this way.' Hideki thought. 'He's happy doing the most mundane household chores. His time is almost at an end here in Kyoto. I can feel it. So can he.'  
  
There was a long drawn out silence in the room. Kenshin's chopping had stopped. The atmosphere seemed to change in a second. He could feel her staring at him. He quietly brought the knife down, chopping a radish in half.  
  
He knew what she was thinking, and she knew what he was thinking. Their thoughts were the same.  
  
"What are you going to do?" she asked softly.  
  
"Find a path where I don't have to kill for peace. A path where I can live freely, without killing people." He replied, chopping another radish. "And a path where I can protect others."  
  
A path. Wandering down a path, looking for atonement and protecting those he would encounter. A wanderer.  
  
A rurouni.  
  
"Rurouni Kenshin."  
  
"Aa."  
  
Hideki smiled. The name fit his personality. He would be a rurouni. He would protect people, with his reverse blade sword.  
  
"Himura! Hideki! Are you here?" a voice called from outside. Hideki turned and went to the front door, and opened it to find Takasugi standing before them, breathing deeply and sweating.  
  
"Takasugi-san! Are you alright?" Hideki asked opening the door wider to admit the man as Himura came up behind her.  
  
"I'm fine. You two need to come with me right now. Katsura wants to see you." He said. With no hesitation, Himura and Hideki followed Takasugi back to Kyoto.  
  
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A.N. Okay, it was more of a filler chapter than anything, but not really, ya know? I always wanted to know why Shakku decided to give Kenshin the reverse-blade sword. How did he know Kenshin would need or want it? Yet another way to fit Hideki into Kenshin's life.  
  
I wanted to clarify something with my readers. It regarding Kenshin and his 'bloodlust'. I know that Tomoe calmed him immensely and gave him the strength to combat his bloodlust and I think that's a key part of Kenshin. However, I don't think that it calmed his anger. Everyone gets angry at something, it's just a matter of how angry and what will it take to get that angry.  
  
Personally, I don't view Kenshin and Battousai as separate beings. I think Kenshin is Kenshin, and Battousai is Kenshin. Battousai was a nickname given to Kenshin, it wasn't a name given to another person within Kenshin. Kenshin may not succumb to bloodlust anymore (thanks to Tomoe) but he still gets mad. REALLY mad. That's why I wrote him threatening Katsura, that's why I wrote that he wanted to kill that random squad of shinsengumi. It wasn't because he was out for blood, it was because he was REALLY pissed that Sakura had been hurt.  
  
We all saw him with Jin'eh. Kenshin + super angry = one PO'ed man, aka Battousai.  
  
Anyways, that's my rant on Kenshin. He doesn't suffer from multiple personalities (as many people have depicted) he just gets mad, like any other normal human being. 


	12. Secrets of the revolution Chapter 11

Disclaimer: RK doesn't belong to me. I borrow some characters for my tale.  
  
A.N. Well folks. I had a blast writing this fic for you. This is the final chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all for reading! Till next time!!!  
  
R&R!  
  
Enjoy!  
  
____________________________________________________  
  
Secrets of the Revolution  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Himura and Hideki followed Takasugi into Kyoto. He wouldn't utter a word as they made their way through the darkening streets. No one paid them any attention. Most people were fleeing back to their homes because night was falling, and soon the Hitokiri's would be out. It was better to be locked within your home than out roaming the street. If you accidentally saw a murder, then the manslayer would kill you. No hesitation.  
  
Takasugi lead the two manslayers to an inn that was located in the centre of Kyoto. He opened the door and gave entrance to the manslayers first.  
  
"This is where I leave you, I have my own troops to meet with. The girl will bring you to Katsura. Good luck." He said, and left them standing in the entrance.  
  
"A-ano. Welcome, Katsura-san is waiting for you." The young girl said. She wasn't any older than 10 or 11. It wasn't unusual for a girl her age to be working at an inn or a restaurant. But she was terrified of the manslayers before her. Especially the red head with the cross scar and yellow eyes. He scared her a lot.  
  
She turned, grateful to pull her eyes away from the amber glare of the man behind her and she lead them down the hall to a room. She knelt beside the door and opened it. Katsura sat in the middle of the room. Himura and Hideki entered and knelt before their leader. The young girl closed the door and returned to her other duties.  
  
"Thank you for coming so suddenly, but I needed to speak with you both." Katsura said.  
  
"What's happened?" Hideki asked.  
  
"We're going into battle. Probably the largest one yet. The Ishin are going up against the Bakufu Shougnate army."  
  
"What?!" Himura exclaimed, beating Hideki to it. The Shougnate army was one of their strongest oppositions. To be pitted against them and calling it a 'battle' was an understatement.  
  
"The Bakufu Army." Hideki breathed, unable to fully comprehend the implication.  
  
'If we were to win this battle.....' Hideki thought  
  
"Yes, we will be against the Bakufu army. I'll spare you the details, but I will tell you this. If we win this one, the new era's peace is assured and this revolution will be over." Katsura sighed. The dream for a better Japan was getting closer. He could feel it.  
  
"Master Katsura, I don't mean any disrespect, but do you think that battle will be against the Ishin and the Shougnate army only? If this battle does go ahead, the Shinsengumi will certainly involve themselves." Hideki said quietly. As much as she liked the idea of the war being over, she had her silent reservations about it.  
  
Without a war, there would be no more killing. Being a killer was all Hideki had known. She would have to find a new life.  
  
That thought both excited and terrified her.  
  
Himura had his reservations as well. He wanted the war over more than anything. He had a promise to fulfill. But now that the opportunity was finally upon him, he was thinking it was too good to be true.  
  
A chance to put down his sword, and stop killing.  
  
A chance to become the rurouni Hideki had called him earlier.  
  
Himura smiled slightly to himself.  
  
"I know the Shinsengumi will involve themselves. There's nothing we can do about that fact. But we do know this. They live by the same ideals all samurai's live by. Aku Soku Zan. Slay evil immediately. Their forces will be split between the Ishin and the army." Katsura replied.  
  
"But," Hideki was still uncertain, "so will our forces, as well as the forces of the army. It will be a three way battle."  
  
"I know. But it's a necessary battle. One that has to be fought. And I want you two in the first unit of Ishin. I need your strength to win this war."  
  
"Then you shall have it." Himura answered for them both.  
  
--------------------------------  
  
It was a cold night. The chill was seeping through Himura and Hideki's clothes quickly. They were standing in the midst of hundreds of Ishin warriors. Men, boys, soldiers, and samurai, all united under the sky in this area of Kyoto. Several weeks had passed since the meeting with Katsura and the battle of Toba-Fushimi was about to begin.  
  
"Himura, how do you feel about this?" Hideki asked.  
  
"I don't know." He answered truthfully.  
  
Silence fell between them again.  
  
At the front of the large group of men stood several officials, they were the leaders of the first unit. They were barking orders to the soldiers before them. Both Himura and Hideki had been given direct orders from Katsura, so they were ignoring the shouts. Their thoughts were occupied with the hope of ending the revolution.  
  
The future of Japan was about to be determined. Would the imperialists succeed and bring about the new era? The answer was only hours away. By dawns light the battle would be over.  
  
"How do you feel about this, Hideki?"  
  
"I don't know." She replied.  
  
Silence.  
  
The first unit was prepared for battle.  
  
"Soldiers! You have you're orders. MOVE OUT!" came a shout from the front of the crowd. The large group separated in two and started moving to their respective positions. Himura turned and began to walk away from Hideki.  
  
Someone grabbed hold of his hand.  
  
He turned and met a pair of blue eyes he hadn't seen in weeks. The soft, sweet eyes of his sister.  
  
"Be careful, Kenshin." she whispered, squeezing his hand gently. Himura's amber eyes disappeared for a heartbeat. He smiled slightly and squeezed her hand in return.  
  
"Take care, Sakura."  
  
They released each others hands. Soft blue eyes turned piercing. Kind amethyst eyes turned amber. The two manslayers turned their backs on each other and walked away. Both unsure if they would see the other again.  
  
Only dawn's light would tell.  
  
Himura followed his group silently. They were all well aware that Battousai was in their midst. They felt both confident and frightened. He may be an imperialist, a comrade of theirs, but he was the most frightening person to walk to earth. The emotionless manslayer.  
  
Himura had always been aware of the discomfort he instilled in people surrounding him. He didn't care all that much either. It was better actually. The fear they all felt for him had been advantageous at times. He knew that he would forever cause fear in people's hearts, but he hoped that after the battle he would be released from the shackles that was Battousai and begin his journey of atonement.  
  
The group met their enemies at the battlefield of Toba-Fushimi and the battle began.  
  
Himura watched the first line attack, then the second. The fighting was methodical and well planned on all sides. Gunmen, cannons, samurai, and explosives were used as tools of destruction.  
  
Himura stormed the scene, several men from the Shougnate army ran in fear at the first sighting of the approaching assassin.  
  
A samurai charged Himura, he blocked the attack with his short sword and cut the man's stomach open. Blood spurted everywhere as Himura drove his katana through the man's neck, slicing his head off.  
  
Another samurai charged Himura from behind. He ducked, and swung his sword around only to have it blocked. He blinked for a moment, and kept his attack going. He was fighting a Shinsengumi, and he had vowed to never fall to a Shinsengumi. Their swords clashed loudly, his opponent was strong, but not strong enough. Putting all his force behind his blade, Himura drove it straight to the hilt through the man's chest and heart.  
  
The man fell to the ground dead.  
  
A huge explosion sent Himura flying through the air, momentarily stunned. He regained his equilibrium quickly, flipped in the air and landed on his feet. The dirt and debris from the explosion faded only to reveal a cannon and a gatling gun pointing at him. The cannon had just been fired, and the gatling gun was about to begin it's rain of bullets.  
  
Himura sprung into action. He ran directly at the gun as its gunman began firing at him. He dodged the bullets that flew past his ears and then leapt into the air. He brought his sword down and easily sliced the gatling gun in half. He then turned his blade on the shougnate soldier, slicing the man from hip to shoulder. Blood sprayed everywhere, and was still soaring through the air when Himura pivoted and threw his short sword at one of the cannon men. The sword found its target as it embedded itself in the head of one man. Himura then turned and easily killed the other soldier by neatly cleaving his torso in half.  
  
The battle was a bloody one. Soon, Himura found himself surrounded by bodies of fallen men. Soldiers of the Shougnate army, Shinsengumi samurai, members of the Ishinshishi, all dead. Himura continued his battle. He couldn't help notice the advantage that was becoming more and more apparent as the bodies fell.  
  
The Imperialists were winning.  
  
Hours passed, the fighting continued. Images of fallen comrade and enemies were embedding themselves into Himura's mind, his soul. He would never forget the events of the battle. He would never forget the smell of blood that hung in the air, or even the slight red haze that seemed to coat the battlefield.  
  
There had been brief moments where Himura's thoughts turned to Hideki. Whether or not she was still alive, or if she was feeling shaken by the bloody battle before her like he was.  
  
The thoughts were only in passing because he would always be fighting someone every turn he took.  
  
The number of lives Himura Battousai took that night was unimaginable.  
  
The sky began to lighten and Himura found himself standing alone in a sea of blood and bodies. There were shouts of victory.  
  
"The Bafuku Shougnate army is retreating! We've won!" someone cried. Cheers echoed through the crowd of imperialists still left standing.  
  
"Himura! Shinsengumi Squad four is still moving forward towards Fushimi!" a commander called out. Himura followed the man to help as best he could.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Dawn broke. Himura was standing alone after having helped defeat the fourth squad. He was surrounded by blood, destroyed homes, and burning piles of Kami-sama only knew what. His short sword and its saya had long since been lost. He was holding his katana in one hand, and its saya in another. He surveyed the damage, engraving the sight of 'victory' in his heart forever.  
  
"So many people died tonight." He murmured quietly.  
  
He looked down at his sword. It was coated in blood. The red sticky substance that was once inside a living breathing human being was dripping off his sword.  
  
'So many people...'  
  
With a flick of his wrist, Himura rid his blade of all the blood and watched as the droplets seemed to fall to the earth in slow motion.  
  
'Victory has been claimed by the Imperialists tonight,' Himura thought. 'The revolution is over... my time here is over... and yet, I feel as if there's something left unfinished. Maybe my time here isn't up.'  
  
The image of Tomoe's body in his arms, her blood leaving her, the smile that she gave as her eyes closed and death claimed her entered his mind. He promised her that day. He would leave the imperialists when his task was done. He would find the path that he had always been searching for. And he would do it without killing. He had promised the woman he loved that. And Himura Kenshin was a man who never broke his promises.  
  
Himura slowly sheathed his sword. Then holding the katana by the sheath just below the hilt in his left hand and covering the end of the hilt with his right, he drove the tip into the ground at his feet. His left hand dropped to his side, and his right remained on the hilt.  
  
It was time for him to put down his sword, and fulfill his promise.  
  
He stared at his hand on the hilt for a minute, remembering all the lives he had taken with it. Remembering the many murders he had committed as a Hitokiri in the revolution.  
  
"No more lives shall be taken by this sword, or by these hands." He said to no one, still staring at his hand on the sword.  
  
Another hand came to rest on top of the one on his sword. He didn't hear or feel the person approach. He followed the hand up to its owner.  
  
Hideki stood at his side, covered in blood. Her katana and short sword were both missing. She met his eyes evenly.  
  
"You're time here is up." She said softly. Himura merely nodded and looked down at the hands covering the sword.  
  
Hideki allowed her hand to drop to her side, and watched as Himura's did too. His sword remained stuck in the ground.  
  
Hideki looked at Himura closely. Aside from the fact that he was covered in blood and there were several places on his clothes that had been sliced open, he looked like he was uninjured. She breathed a silent sigh of relief.  
  
Himura looked at the girl next to him. She didn't look that well. She was covered in blood, just like him, her high ponytail had come loose during the fight and it looked like some of her hair had been cut off, probably from near misses. And her clothes had a few chunks taken out of them. He could see an open gash in her upper arm and a long stain of blood soaking her bandages around her stomach. The bandages were also sliced open.  
  
"You're hurt." Himura stated flatly. Hideki looked at her stomach and her arm.  
  
"I am. I guess I'm not as good with the sword as you are." She replied smiling. "Don't worry, they're only flesh wounds. They'll heal."  
  
Himura reached up and grabbed a lock of her hair that reached the tip of her ear. There were several uneven clumps of hair like that one.  
  
"I'm glad you're alive." He whispered. She smiled at him.  
  
"I'm glad you are too." She replied.  
  
Himura's hand dropped to his side, his gaze left Hideki and travelled back to his sword. Hideki turned and looked around at the battlefield.  
  
"You have to go." She said simply.  
  
"Aa."  
  
Hideki turned fully around herself, checking her surroundings. Then faced Himura, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him softly on his scarred cheek. Her arms slid around his neck and she pulled him close in a hug.  
  
"Goodbye Kenshin."  
  
Kenshin's arms wrapped themselves around her and hugged her in return.  
  
"Goodbye Sakura."  
  
No one was around to see the exchange. Hideki had made sure of that. And no one would witness as Himura Kenshin released the person in his arms and turned his back to the battlefield.  
  
Hitokiri Battousai, the most feared assassin to ever exist in Japan, disappeared into the smoke and haze... leaving behind a legend.  
  
Hideki stood rooted and watched the retreating form of the Battousai disappear. She looked down at the sword embedded in the ground at her feet. She had heard the soft words spoken by Himura as his hand rested on the hilt of the sword.  
  
"No more lives shall be taken by this sword."  
  
"And I'll make sure of that." Hideki whispered. She grabbed the sword and pulled it from the earth. She slid the sword into her belt at her waist and turned, walking away from the battlefield in the opposite direction of Himura.  
  
'I vow on the blood of those who fell tonight, that I will never take another life. Not with this sword, and not with any other. This is my atonement. I will protect people's lives with Battousai the manslayer's killing sword.'  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Hideki made two stops before departing Kyoto. The first was to Shakku, informing him that Himura had left the imperialists and if he still wanted Battousai to have the reverse blade sword, then he should give it to him.  
  
The second stop was Katsura Kogoro's home. For two reasons.  
  
"Himura and I are leaving the Imperialists. In fact, he's already gone." Hideki said simply as she sat across from Katsura.  
  
"I know, Himura has already been here and I gave him my blessings. I extend the same well wishes to you. However, why do you have his sword?" Katsura replied, pointing at the sword resting on the floor at Hideki's side. She reached out her hand and brushed her fingertips against the hilt lightly.  
  
"This is my atonement. I'm going to use this sword to protect those suffering around me." She said softly. Katsura nodded. Hideki watched the hard, serious face of Katsura Kogoro soften slightly as he smiled at the young samurai before him.  
  
"I'm going to miss you two. You've been like sons to me these last four years." Katsura said softly. He bowed his head. "I am truly sorry for what I've done to you and Himura these last years. I've destroyed you both." His apology was choked, his words filled with remorse.  
  
"Son and daughter." Hideki said softly. Katsura looked up, confused.  
  
He watched in fascination as Hideki reached up and released her hair from the ponytail it was in, and then opened her gi, and using the edge of the sword, slicing some bandages off.  
  
Katsura's eyes widened.  
  
Sakura sat before him.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. You never would have allowed me to join the imperialists if you knew. No one knew, not until I was injured during that ambush. Himura found out then. He lied for me. I'm truly sorry I betrayed you Master Katsura." Sakura said softly as she bowed before the stunned man.  
  
Katsura was shocked. Then everything fell into place, making so much sense he was kicking himself for never realizing the truth. He looked at the young girl before him. His guilt increased tenfold. She was a Hitokiri for 4 years because he asked her to. He felt bad enough for destroying a young man, but the fact that a young girl had been reduced to being a killer made him feel even worse. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice told him he should be angry. But he knew he couldn't be. Not after living the last four years under her protection.  
  
She was very skilled. Enough to beat Battousai to a draw.  
  
She had been a silent assassin for almost two years, then a protector for 3 more.  
  
She had taken many lives, at the cost of her humanity, and she never once complained.  
  
She had been raped.  
  
She sacrificed herself for an ideal. For peace.  
  
Katsura couldn't be angry. The actions of the girl bowing before him wouldn't allow him to be angry. She was a samurai, and a very good one. That simple fact demanded respect and honour.  
  
"You don't need to apologise. You were meant to carry a sword. You're right however, had I known you were a woman I would never have allowed you to join the Imperialists. But I'm grateful you did. My thanks are not enough to make up for your years of service to me, nor are my apologies. Follow your path, Hideki... no... Sakura. Farewell." Katsura said. Hideki smiled at him, rose to her feet, and left the room.  
  
The fact that one of the Imperialists best manslayers was a woman would never be known. It was a secret that Katsura and Himura would never tell a soul.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Himura was departing the city of Kyoto in the fading light of dusk. He had finally passed all the houses and people to find himself on the open road.  
  
"Himura, I heard you were leaving the Imperialists." A voice said behind him. Himura turned to find himself staring at Arai Shakku. He stood several feet away from Battousai, and had a sword propped against his shoulder.  
  
"Aa, Master Katsura said it was alright."  
  
"Don't leave now, the battle at Toba-Fushimi just ended and now you're running away? You can't escape from the many lives you've taken, so you shouldn't try to run away from it."  
  
"I want to find a path where I can protect those living in the new era without killing."  
  
"Sounds like a joke. If there was such a path, I would like to see it as well. But you have no sword, how do you plan to exist? You live by the sword, you die by the sword, that is how you should exist."  
  
Shakku threw the sword he held in his hand at Himura. He easily caught it, marvelling at its weight and looked at the sword maker as Shakku turned his back and started towards Kyoto.  
  
"My parting gift to you, Himura. It's a piece of scrap. Try being a swordsman with that thing at your side. You'll see how much you truly believe those words you just spoke." Shakku said. Himura grabbed the hilt and slowly unsheathed the sword to reveal the blade. "It's probably too much for you. But if you still believe that joke you just told when that things snaps, come see me in Kyoto."  
  
Himura's eyes surveyed the bit of exposed blade.  
  
A reverse blade sword.  
  
Himura's eyes widened slightly as he watched the retreating back of Shakku. He placed the sword in his belt at his side, and turned around to begin his journey.  
  
Rurouni Kenshin was born that day.  
  
A man who fights for peace with his sakabatou.  
  
~OWARI~  
  
_________________________________________  
  
A.N. Well, that's it for that story! I hope you guys liked it. When I get back in three months I'm gonna start on the sequel.  
  
Thanks to all who enjoyed my story!!!  
  
Sakura-san. 


	13. Author's Note

Author's Note:  
  
This is just a closing note to all you wonderful people who reviewed this fic. I'm sorry for the LOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGG delay in sending my thanks to you but I was in Europe for the last three months.  
  
So this is just a note for all you guys who reviewed. Thanks so much for everything!! :D I'm really glad you enjoyed Secrets, and now chapter 1 (well, the Prologue) of the sequel is up. The new story is called The Past Returns. So here we go! Go read it and I hope you like it!  
  
P.S. I read my reviews and this is the only way I can contact you so:  
  
Shadowsage Hopesong: You can post this fic if you'd like. I'm really glad you liked it (  
  
Cheers people! :D  
  
Seta-sakura 


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